Ninth HKTDC fair welcomes wine world to Hong Kong

The ninth Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair ended last week after a successful three days but visitor numbers did not appear to rise on last year.

Taking place from 10-12 November at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the show’s organiser, the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council (HKTDC) reported that visitor numbers at the fair were “close to 20,000”. Last year the numbers were just in excess of 20,000.

Nonetheless, the HKTDC reported “encouraging growth” in the number of visitors from mainland China, Japan and Taiwan and the final day saw “nearly” 27,000 members of the public in attendance.

The somewhat quieter nature of the fair was noted by a few exhibitors including iDealwine’s Arthur de Lencquesaing who told the drinks business he was happy, however, with the quality of the visitors who had passed by his stand.

French producer Cave de Saint-Chinian meanwhile, told the HKTDC it had made a deal with a Shanghai buyer for 13,000 bottles of wine and had established contact with other buyers from Hong Kong, China, India and Japan.

The focus of the fair is always on Hong Kong’s role and position as the Asian wine hub. The deputy executive director of the HKTDC, Benjamin Chau, commented: “As a duty-free wine port, Hong Kong is seen as an efficient and convenient trading and distribution centre for the region. With growing demand for wine and wine-related products and services in Asia, Hong Kong has fully grasped the opportunities brought about by the trend. The Wine & Spirits Fair has also become an important industry promotion and trading platform for wine exhibitors to expand their business into the Chinese mainland and Asian markets.”

Slovenia was a notable addition to the fair this year, with 18 wineries showcasing their products at the pavilion.

Slovenia’s deputy prime minister and minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Dejan Zidan, also visited the fair and said: “Slovenia has been expanding its economic ties over the last two years with China through the ‘16+1’ cooperation framework, an initiative aimed at deepening the exchange and relationships between the Chinese mainland and 16 European countries. This fair is a truly international event. We are taking advantage of the Hong Kong fair to reach out to more buyers and promote Slovenian wines internationally.”