Grape & Grain | Hong Kong’s best places to drink summer wines (and where to buy them)

When skies are blue, Hong Kong’s beaches and al fresco barbecue pits beckon. But the subtropical steam really works up a thirst. Stock your daypack with essential fluids and mark the best wine shops on your trail guide.

Head to Shun Tak and set sail for a mini break to Macau (or, if you don’t), visit Marks & Spencer (global.marksandspencer.com/hk/en), a one-stop shop for picnic food and drinks. The high street retailer has a wide selection of on-trend wines in its near wholly exclusive-to-M&S section, which features plenty of summer favourites such as rosé, prosecco, and the current darling of the wine world, English fizz. M&S’ “wine in a cup” concept is another innovation that suits our summer wine scene. Called Le Froglet’s, these single servings of shiraz, rosé and chardonnay are perfect for impromptu picnics.

Pack a basket and travel back in time to Hong Kong’s colonial era. The secret lawn behind the historic Gate Lodge at Victoria Peak Park deserves a bottle fit for royalty. Buy one from Berry Bros & Rudd (bbr.com/hk-home), one of England’s oldest fine wine retailers and supplier to the British royal family.

Venture past the tourist traps of Stanley and take a sampan to the Po Toi Islands. The fishing village’s famous calamari washes down nicely with a bottle of bubbles from Altaya Wines (altayawines.com).