Oregon wine enters Asian market via Disney

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon wine has won the keys to the Magic Kingdom -- in the People's Republic of China.\nWhen the new Disney theme park opened in Hong Kong last week, Oregon wine was featured on the exclusive wine list. The deal helps put Oregon wine "on the Asia map," said Brian Liu, international trade manager with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.\nIn January, Oregon sent its first wine to China, shipping 1,250 cases of the state's signature pinot noir to the world's most populous nation.\nIt's a difficult market to penetrate because unlike in neighboring Japan -- where red wine sales recently overtook sake sales in Tokyo -- wine is still an oddity in mainland China, sold mostly in five-star hotels and high-end restaurants.\nIf Oregon winemakers succeed in tapping into the Chinese market, it could spell huge gains, say industry experts. Overall wine sales in China are between $7 billion and $10 billion, according to the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service.