Margan wines at Broke has been among those to make its mark, exporting 13,000 bottles this week to Beijing.

Treasurer Eric Roozendaal said NSW wine exports to China had grown at an average annual rate of more than 232 per cent over the past five years.

The Hunter sold $1,115,370 of blended and single wine between January and October, figures from the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation said.

These compares favourably to the first 10 months of 2008, where $826,227 of wine was exported to China.

Australian exports were given a boost in April when Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke signed agreements to improve access to markets in China and Hong Kong.

The two agreements were to give wine producers simplified, improved access to both markets.

Upper Hunter vineyard James Estate opened an office in Shanghai about a year ago.

Senior winemaker Graeme Scott said it had not all been plain sailing, with some language barriers and different labelling requirements but it was well worth the effort.

He said 90 per cent of the sales were in red wine, with rose and white wines making up the difference.

"Things are progressing well and we're in there for the long term," he said.

Andrew Margan of Margan wines said China's drinking tastes were changing.

"We are definitely selling more wine to China. There's a national trend in China away from the hard liquor and towards red wine," he said.

Mr Roozendaal said a recent wine promotion trade mission to Hong Kong and China produced immediate results, luring a major buyer to the Hunter vineyards.

Sam Irving, managing director of Hong Kong's Leisure Wines spent Sunday and Monday visiting Hunter wineries.

He said the Hunter's shiraz would do well in the China and Hong Kong markets.