CANADA is being eyed off as the next export market for heavyweight North East wine company Brown Brothers.
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Director Ross Brown said the completion of the trans Pacific trade deal opened up the country for export access.
"Canada is a very regulated wine distribution....country with liquor control by the government, so any freeing up of that very lucrative market, if you can get in there, could be very good," Mr Brown said.
He also said Malaysia and Singapore were countries his company would look to "cherry pick" for exports through the deal.
Brown Brothers wine is sold in 32 countries with the first exports sent to New Zealand in 1974 to coincide with the Christchurch Commonwealth Games.
Mr Brown said nailing foreign culture was vital.
"I stuffed up completely in Japan for most of my life because I just could not tune into the culture of Japan and I didn't employ local people," he said.
In China, Brown Brothers now has four local workers who speak the language, a fillip for distribution.
Mr Brown said the China-Australia free trade deal had also bolstered the company's stocks in the Middle Kingdom.
"Six years ago the Chileans were blowing us out of the water, they had a 15 per cent price advantage and they were a low-cost producer," he said.
"The free trade agreement put us on the same playing field as Chile."
Though Mr Brown warned of exchange rate risks, saying Brown Brothers was forced out of Britain after the pence to the dollar went from 40 to 58.
