New Zealand surges into Vinexpo

New Zealand Winegrowers will host a series of masterclasses with over 90 wines from 11 wineries during next week’s Vinexpo – including performances by traditonal kapa haka dancers.

Visitors to the New Zealand Pavilion will be treated to the traditional kapa haka Maori dance

Covering the breadth of New Zealand’s diverse wine landscape including exploring the effects of low-sulphur and cool climates and focusing on the sub-region of Gimblett Gravels, the sessions will be run by New Zealand’s newest Master of Wine, Stephen Wong MW and local Hong Kong wine experts, Rebecca Leung, Ronnie Lau, David Wong and LU Yang.

Eleven wineries will be in attendance throughout the show, including Craggy Range which will showcase its 2014 Prestige range, Giesen Wines, Rapaura Springs, Spy Valley and Vidal State.

Visitors to the Pavilion can also “step into New Zealand’s vineyards” for a virtual tour by using Samsung headsets provided by the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and there’ll be New Zealand’s renowned kapa haka performances.

“I am excited to welcome Hong Kong to the world of NZ wine,” said Stephen Wong MW, who became an MW in February 2016. “Our masterclasses will show some fantastic wines, many of which are new to Hong Kong, and will give people a real sense of NZ wine’s development and depth.”

New Zealand Winegrowers’ Asia marketing manager, Natalie Potts said: “Hong Kong has long been a fan of NZ’s famous Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but in recent years we’ve seen increased imports of Chardonnay and sparkling wines as local consumers are discovering the range and unrivalled purity of our wines.”

New Zealand wine exports to Hong Kong totalled NZ$18 million (HK$96.5 million) or over 1.3 million litres in 2015, making Hong Kong New Zealand’s nineth largest export market globally by value. Other leading Asian markets for New Zealand are China, Singapore and Japan which, together with Hong Kong, represented almost NZ$90 million (HK$475 million) last year.

For a full list of participating New Zealand wineries and the scheduled list of masterclasses, visit the New Zealand Winegrowers’ website.