Raising a toast to spirited entrepreneurs

Ever since the government decided to abolish wine duty in 2008, the wine trade in Hong Kong has boomed and a huge demand for wine professionals has been created. This prompted the University of Hong Kong’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) to partner with the Bordeaux Management School (BEM) in France to offer the Wine and Spirits MBA programme – the first of its kind in Asia-Pacific.

The MBA aims to help students develop sound managerial thinking through a grounded academic knowledge of the practical international wine industry. It includes 12 teaching modules and two overseas visits to help students learn from and exchange experiences with wine practitioners from other parts of the world.

Dr Wan Wai-yin, director of the programme, says the course taught in Hong Kong is slightly different to the one taught in France. Local features have been added to cater for students on this side of the world.

“We receive professional advice from mainland wine practitioners and experts to add local flavour to the course,” Wan says. “The course is also delivered in English, as opposed to being taught in French in Bordeaux. This has opened the door to students from Asia who do not necessarily know French.”

Two 10-day overseas workshops take students to Adelaide in Australia and Bordeaux. “In France the best chateaux only welcome wine academics and experts. Through the programme, our students will be able to visit these chateaux and get to know real wine practitioners, who are important components of the network that students need to develop if they want to be successful in the wine industry,” Wan says.

The workshop in Australia was introduced to help students learn more about the wine market in the “New World”. “In Australia students will visit vineyards and meet with winemakers, wine marketers and members of the wine media. There will be plenty of chances for them to gain insights into the wine market from a variety of sources,” Wan says.

“In the upcoming school year in 2013, we will also have a workshop in Hong Kong for students from France and other places, so that they can learn about the wine market in Asia and Hong Kong. This will give them a comprehensive view of the wine market.”