Wine company whose label design copies Penfolds is banned from exporting to China because it could 'cause harm to the reputation of all Australian grape products'
- Wine Australia has suspended Daleford Wines grape product exporting licence
- The Adelaide-based company is run by one person - Liu Shuyun from Broadview
- Daleford Wines was punished for being too similar to iconic wine label Penfolds
- The company allegedly copied Penfolds labels to earn profits in Chinese market
A South Australian wine company targeting the lucrative Chinese market has had its export licence suspended.
Dalefold Wines, which produces labels strikingly similar in appearance to those from iconic brand Penfolds, is run out of a house in Broadview, Adelaide.
The company, which is owned by sole shareholder Liu Shuyun, may not export grape products from Australia while the suspension is in place.
A South Australian wine company targeting the lucrative Chinese market has had its export licence suspended (pictured are bottles produced by Dalefold Wines)
Wine Australia said the decision was made after an inspection of wine consignment exported on June 20.
'Dalefold Wines has engaged in activity that aims to leverage from the reputation of another wine brand in China through causing consumer confusion,' Wine Australia, the federal government regulatory body for the country's wine industry, said.
That confusion is likely to negatively affect the export trade in Australian grape products, Wine Australia said.
The agency said Daleford Wines' conduct is also likely to hamper promotion of Australian wines, diminish customer confidence, and 'cause harm to the reputation of all Australian grape products'.
The Chinese-language site contains an image of a vineyard (pictured) which bears an uncanny resemblance to a photograph of a Wolf Blass property
The Dalefold Wines' website features an image of one label in particular which appears to be a close copy of a Penfolds label
The Dalefold Wines' website features a picture of one label in particular which appears to be a close copy of a Penfolds label.
The Chinese-language site also contains an image of a vineyard which bears an uncanny resemblance to a photograph of a Wolf Blass property.
Wolf Blass is a subsidiary of Treasury Wine Estates, as is Penfolds.
Angus McPherson, Treasury Wine Estates managing director for Australia and New Zealand, praised Wine Australia's decision, he told The Australian.
'This is a win for the Australian wine industry,' he said.
'We applaud the efforts of Wine Australia in taking action to protect the reputation of the industry and its brands, in light of new export regulations that came into effect earlier this year.'
Dalefold Wines, which produces labels strikingly similar in appearance to those from iconic brand Penfolds, is run out of a house in Broadview, Adelaide
Treasury Wine Estates has previously taken legal action against alleged copycat brands, including Chinese owned Rush Rich.
Penfolds is translated into 'Ben Fu' in Chinese, with the two characters meaning 'rush' and 'rich' respectively.
Penfolds is translated into 'Ben Fu' in Chinese, with the two characters meaning 'rush' and 'rich' respectively.
Dalefold Wines now has 28 days to apply to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review of Wine Australia's decision.
Wine Australia said it has conducted 795 audits of the current 2,298 active licenced exporters over the past three years, and cancelled one export licence.
Chinese police seized 14,000 bottles of fake Penfolds wine from warehouses in November last year after a complaint from Treasury Wine Estates.
The company, which has is owned by sole shareholder Liu Shuyun, may not export grape products from Australia while the suspension is in place
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