Hong Kong gears up for Wine & Spirits Fair

The ninth edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair will descend on the city in November in recognition of Asia’s booming wine consumption.

Over 1,000 exhibitors hailing from all corners of the globe are expected to join the Wine & Spirits Fair which will take place from 10-12 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

Last year’s event attracted over 20,000 visitors from 75 countries and regions keen to explore Asia’s current booming wine sales and consumption.

According to Euromonitor International, wine sales in Asia amounted to US$63.8 billion – up 3.6% per annum over the past five years with the region predicted to grow 7.4% per annum in value terms and 5.3% per annum in volume terms from 2015-2020.

As ever, trade organisations and pavilions representing different countries and regions will have a strong presence this year, with the Argentina Pavilion, Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Canadian Food Exporters Association, Sopexa and Bettane + Desseauve, Veronafiere, Japan External Trade Organization and THE Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade all taking floor space to champion the best in wine and spirits from their respective countries.

Reporting on last year’s event, Michel Bettane, Chairman of Bettane+Desseauve said:

“This fair has attracted many buyers from different places and we see a rising number of individual wine lovers and private collectors visiting the exhibition. We’ve met with many potential customers from different markets such as Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Our participating wineries are very happy with the show and some of them have already concluded sales with buyers. This is really the right place to promote our branding and wine products.”

Event-wise, there will be a plethora of grand tastings, master classes, wine tastings, cocktail demonstration and seminars with Debra Meiburg MW again serving as the conference’s advisor and moderator and commenting throughout the fair on the latest industry updates.

Members of the public can also pour in on the last day to join in with wine tasting events, cocktail demonstration and grand tasting sessions.

Prior to the fair, the Eighth Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition will take place from 4-6 October and is open for entries until 2 September. A panel comprising Asia’s top wine judges will select the best wines of the year and hand out awards, including the Best Asian Food and Wine Pairing and Best Wine from China.

For more information regarding this year’s Wine and Spirits Fair, please visit the HKTDC fair’s website.