Jun 24, 2026 – 5.00amOn a sunny day in May in Sydney’s CBD, 500 people have descended on the Ace Hotel. They’re here for Huge Moves, an annual showcase of more than 30 small-scale local winemakers and wine importers. Among those pouring for the thirsty punters is Hamish Williams, who started bringing in new-wave wine from China 18 months ago. And he has been mobbed – the crowd can’t get enough of the orange wine from Xiaopu, the malvasia from Ningxia, the longyan from Hebei. “People’s eyes lit up,” says Williams, still recovering from the onslaught of curiosity. “They were like: ‘Oh my god, wow! These wines are so exciting.’”For people who’ve been in the wine business for years, Williams’ Chinese imports are a game changer. “They’re a world away from the Bordeaux replicant wines I used to taste out of China only a few years ago,” says Joel Amos, founder of DRNKS, an online retailer that organises Huge Moves. They’re nothing like the rather heavy-handed, oaky cabernets state-owned companies such as Great Wall have been making for decades. “These new wines are fun, they’re modern, they have character.”Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Max AllenDrinks columnistMax Allen is The Australian Financial Review's drinks columnist. He is an award-winning journalist and author who has written about wine and drinks for close to 25 years.Fetching latest articles