Chinese snap up Aussie vines in hunt for top drop

The coal-rich hills of Australia’s Hunter Valley have long fed China’s steel furnaces but the winemaking region is riding a fresh boom as the Asian power’s middle classes toast their new wealth. Mining delegations are being replaced by wine enthusiasts as China’s upwardly mobile millions get the taste for an expensive drop, and Australia’s vintners are turning their efforts towards the lucrative new market, reports AFP.