Australian wine exports climbed 15% in 2017 vs. a year earlier to reach A$2.6 billion ($2.1 billion) including a 63% surge in sales to China. That came as Chinese wine consumption accelerated, with global imports having risen 16% to $2.8 billion in the past year. Australian wines are still second to those from France in the Chinese market with a 26% share vs. France’s 39%. Australian wines in China also have to compete with other alcoholic beverages for consumer spending. Wine is nonetheless the biggest import category in China, accounting for 3.1x the imports of brandy ($873 million, le...