"Historically, foreign wine has had to face a strong domestic-wine lobby, " says Pat Jones, an agent with the U.S. Customs Service.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Some, like California, require that foreign wine pass through a customs warehouse.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Further complicating the situation is an apparent escalation of the wine trade war between the European Union and the U.S. Wending its way through Congress is a housekeeping bill that includes a caveat that would bury boutique imports under red tape by requiring certification from foreign governments and chemical analysis of wine.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Also, because the Australians have gained faster entry to some foreign markets, they may offer distribution deals to U.S. wine exporters.

FORBES: Chateau Southcorp

Both foreign traders and local producers have in recent months observed a spectacular rise in the popularity of wine in China, at least in the country's more prosperous and cosmopolitan cities and coastal regions.

ECONOMIST: China��s new tipple

During apartheid, boycotts targeting the country's racist policies had isolated its wine-making industry from the rest of the world, which meant that modern cultivation techniques, foreign varietals and rich export markets were all effectively off-limits.

WSJ: Luvo Ntezo, South Africa's Rising Wine Star | The Shift