German Riesling month kicks off in Hong Kong

A month-long celebration of German Riesling is set to kick off in Hong Kong with wine merchants, restaurants and bars throughout the city toasting the noble grape, as Germany seeks to increase its market share in Hong Kong.

Germany still remains a major wine exporting country to Hong Kong despite a recent contraction in both value and volume, based on figures released by Hong Kong Commerce of Economic Development.

Ranked as Hong Kong’s 10th largest wine exporting country last year, Germany exported a total of 0.65 million litres of wine worth about HK$52 million to Hong Kong in 2016, representing a 24.2% drop in volume and 55.7% drop in value over 2015.

In its fifth year, the event will kick off with a grand tasting held at Renaissance Harbour View Hotel on 2 June. The tasting will be officiated by Christina Schneider, the ‘German Wine Princess’ from Franken, who will lead guests to taste through more than 100 wines from 20 exhibitors paired with traditional German dishes.

‘German Wine Queens’ and ‘Princesses’ are global ambassadors of German wine. Each year, the thirteen German wine regions elect their own regional wine queens, who will then compete for the title of ‘German Wine Queen’ and ‘German Wine Princess’ the following year.

In addition to the tasting, many wine bars, restaurants and retail wine shops will roll out Riesling promotions. Riesling, with its versatile style from dry and delicate through to sweet, always retaining its fresh acidity, pairs particularly well with western and Asian cuisine. A full list of participating restaurants can be viewed here.