(NZHerald) - Affluent young Chinese women may be the future of New Zealand's wine industry. The exponential growth in China in the past decade has helped New Zealand's wine industry grow beyond $1 billion, despite dips in our economy since the global financial crisis. Annual wine exports to the people's republic are now worth more than $25 million and domestically companies are starting to expand and diversify to keep up with global demand. New Zealand Winegrowers sent a contingent to China to inform the country's wine drinkers about the Kiwi white varieties. NZ Winegrowers global marketing director Chris Yorke said he expected China to eventually overtake Canada as our fourth-biggest export market. "We see China as a major opportunity for us," Mr Yorke said. "We're seeing exponential growth [in China] in the last few years. "The younger [drinkers], particularly 25- to 35-year-old women, are a very important target group for us." Wine exports to China have increased from 204,000 litres in 2007 to 2.5 million litres in 2013.