HKIWSC 2015 winners announced

 The winners of this year’s HK IWSC competition were unveiled at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair last week, with the results seeing Australia storm ahead and the first entrants from Kazakhstan.

Among its top performing producers were Australian Vintage’s, Tempus Two Copper Zenith Semillon 2003 which picked up the award for Best Australian, McWilliam’s 842 Chardonnay 2013 scooped the trophy for Best Chardonnay.

The competition saw a number of firsts for 2015, awarding the first Shochu Trophy to Sanwa Shurui Co for their Lichiko Frasco, the first entries from Kazakhstan and a completely revamped range of authentic Asian dishes for with the food and wine pairing competition.

Thailand did exceptionally well, with a total of 40 medals and three trophies in the food and wine matching competition, with producers GranMonte and Siam Winery Co out-performing competitors. A spirits highlight was Lamai Distilleries Lamoon Rum Agricole, awarded a coveted Silver medal.

New Zealand also put in a strong performance with many homegrown products winning gold and silver medals. Highlights included: Cobblestone Vineyards Te Muna Pinot Noir 2014 picking up the Best Pinot Noir and Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2015 scooping the Best Sauvignon Blanc.

Debra Meiburg MW and founding director of the Cathay Pacific HKIWSC said, “Both the results and the entrants in the 2015 competition are extremely encouraging for the wider industry. The breadth of entries continues to be enriched, which is demonstrative of the “normalisation” of Hong Kong and Greater China’s wine market development.

“Where several years ago, non-traditional winemaking countries – and even some New World wine regions – were intimidated by the unquenchable thirst for fine wine from France wine that characterised the market in its infancy, now there is a wider view that the high quality, high value mid-market segment is offering huge potential for new entrants.

“Of course, we were thrilled for Thailand also achieving such great results – a testament to the Asian wine industry’s growth and maturation, and encourage local producers to continue to enter their wines and develop wines that clearly strike a chord with the Asian taste and consumption preferences.”

The full results and information about 2015 HKIWSC feature in a dedicated report published by the drinks business Hong Kong, or they can be viewed at the HKIWSC webpage.