bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Debra Meiburg

Did you notice a flurry of wine activity in Hong Kong last week? Perhaps your favourite sommelier had a skip in her step, or your go-to wine guy was eager to share his latest discovery. The probable source of their excitement was the biennial Vinexpo Hong Kong – arguably the region’s largest international wine and spirits exhibition for wine professionals.
The three-day event, which is held in alternate years to Vinexpo Bordeaux, brings professionals together with winemakers from 35 countries and is the industry’s window on the wide world of wine trends.

Hong Kong wine buyers complain of difficulty in getting passes for Vinexpo
On day one, we had our first taste of Moët Hennessy’s Ao Yun, a red wine produced at its Shangri-La winery in the Himalayas, in a remote northwestern corner of Yunnan province.
Will Shangri-La produce China’s first world-class red wine?
Another pleasant surprise was the debut of an exciting, affordable new super wine from Bordeaux, which was unveiled by Bettane & Desseauve.
Newcomers weren’t the only wines featured, though – people were also treated to tastings of 2009’s magnificent French vintage, excellent sweet wines, some stars from Burgundy and Champagne’s great terroirs. I presented my arguments on what makes Portugal a world-class producer of quality table wines, not just its famous fortified wines Port, Madeira and Moscatel; while the Vinexpo Challenge, presented by “Best Sommelier of the World 2016” Jon Arvid Rosengren,also yielded some tongue-tingling results.
Italy was featured as the country of honour and its wine was discussed at a conference on Italian wines in Asia along with master classes, tastings and product launches.

This year’s Vinexpo was a professional highlight for me. I joined three leading women of the international wine business for two California-style events, namely Sarah Jane Evans MW and chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, Karen MacNeil, author of the best-selling The Wine Bible, and Sarah Kemp, 30-year veteran of leading wine magazine, Decanter.
First, at our grand breakfast symposium and tasting on May 25, we introduced a diverse range of California’s finest wines. Together, we discussed and debated what California and its wine mean to us. For me, southern California conjures up beach vibes and images of Hollywood, while laid-back northern California (where I’m from) is all about beautiful natural scenery, fresh farm produce, and top wineries. The popularity of sun-kissed California wine is on the rise. According to Linsey Gallagher,California Wine Institute vice-president of international marketing, “California wine exports set a record in 2016, topping US$1.6 billion, with Hong Kong our third largest export market at US$97 million [an increase of 41 per cent from the previous year].”

We continued California dreaming on the evening of the 25th at our “Leading Women in Wine” event, held in partnership with The Women’s Foundation, introducing these inspirational global wine personalities to Hong Kong’s female executives and TWF members. Yes, we tasted some exceptional wines, but the focus here was on hosting a supercharged networking event to share the experiences and achievements of these fearless females in the male-dominated wine industry.
Su-Mei Thompson, CEO of The Women’s Foundation, acknowledged the role that successful women play in business, especially male-dominated industries, “We know that the most successful women are often the most generous about sharing their stories and encouraging others to achieve their goals. We also know women do better with the support of others than they do on their own. We look forward to seeing more and more women champions in this space,” she said.

These two events are further evidence that the next six months will be big for California wine in Hong Kong. In November, Christie’s will hold Asia’s debut Premiere Napa Valley wine auction. On May 24, we held a tasting of these boutique rare wines from the region’s top producers. The launch of the Premiere Napa Valley wine auction in Hong Kong signifies both the Asian market’s maturation and Napa Valley’s achievement as an increasingly sought-after region for collectors of fine and rare wine.
Vinexpo 2016 might be over, but it injected Hong Kong’s vibrant wine market with lessons and legacies that will echo around the region for at least two years, until it returns to our shores again in 2018.


A Californian gets to wax lyrical about state’s finest wines at Hong Kong’s Vinexpo

Vinexpo Hong Kong is one of the city’s biggest wine fairs. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong Vinexpo 2016 opens at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. 24MAY16 SCMP/Nora Tam

epa05326176 Chinese wine buyers attend a wine tasting at the Vinexpo in Hong Kong, China, 24 May 2016. The Vinexpo runs from 24 to 26 May and features 1,300 exhibitors from around 33 wine producing countries. EPA/ALEX HOFFORD

Swedish sommelier Jon Arvid Rosengren (C) celebrates after being declared the world best in the 15th Concours du Meilleur Sommelier du Monde in Mendoza, Argentina, on April 19, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Pachy Reynoso [03JUNE2016 FEATURES FOOD & DRINK]

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Debra Meiburg picks her highlights from three days of tasting and networking, including Moet’s new Yunnan red, a new super Bordeaux, and wines from Portugal, Italy and the Golden State


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Grape & Grain

Grape & Grain | A Californian gets to wax lyrical about state’s finest wines at Hong Kong’s Vinexpo

Debra Meiburg picks her highlights from three days of tasting and networking, including Moet’s new Yunnan red, a new super Bordeaux, and wines from Portugal, Italy and the Golden State