Vinexpo Hong Kong in pictures

Peter Kwok, founder of Vignobles K Group that owns seven estates in Bordeaux, has won the Asian Personality Award 2018, given out by the drinks business Hong Kong and Vinexpo. He was recognised for his pioneering venture in Bordeaux, where for more than 20 years ago he has helped preserve and transform the landscape of the famous wine region, particularly in the Right Bank, where the Hong Kong businessman owns seven estates in Pomerol and Saint Emilion. Kwok (centre) received the award on 30 May from Guillaume Deglise, outgoing Vinexpo CEO, and Ivy Ng, publisher of the drinks business Hong Kong.

More than 100 guests attended the Asian Personality Award announcement ceremony, eager to find out which heavyweight in Asia’s wine industry was given this prestigious accolade. Launched in 2012, the Asian Personality Award aims to recognise one outstanding individual who has positively transformed the wine trade industry within Asian and beyond. Previous recipients included Grace Vineyards’ CEO, Judy Chan, in 2012, Vincent Cheung, grand master of the Commanderie de Bordeaux in Asia, in 2014, and the creators of the hugely popular manga series The Drops of God, Yuko and Shin Kibayashi, in 2016.

The Asian Personality Award cemented its position as one of the best networking events during Vinexpo Hong Kong where guests including former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong and wine connoisseur Henry Tang, three Michelin-starred Italian chef Umberto Bombana, the New Zealand Consul-General to Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong MTR chief, in addition to various executives and trade association heads from the wine industry converged to congratulate this year’s winner Peter Kwok. Pictured above is Carl Worker, New Zealand Consul General in Hong Kong and his wife at the ceremony.

Henry Tang (left), former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, congratulating Peter Kwok on winning the Asian Personality Award given out by the drinks business Hong Kong and Vinexpo.

Frederick Ma (right), Chairman of the Hong Kong MTR Group, beat the busy crowd and posed for a photo with Peter Kwok, who also serves as the head of Citic Resources Holdings, the energy subsidiary of China’s biggest state-owned investment company, Citic Group.

Dominic Symington of Portugal’s eminent Symington Family Estates was spotted at the ceremony as well, bantering with Natalie Wang, managing editor of the drinks business Hong Kong.

It’s not a proper celebration without Champagne. The guests attending the award were served with Champagne Barons de Rothschild Brut NV, a blend of 60% Chardonnay primarily of grands and premiers crus from the Côte des Blancs; and 40% Pinot Noir primarily from Verzenay, Aÿ, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, and Ambonnay. The Champagne is available in Hong Kong via ASC Fine Wines.

GreatWall winery, owned by China’s biggest foodstuffs company COFCO, hosted its first masterclass in Hong Kong in collaboration with the drinks business Hong Kong at Grand Hyatt Hotel during Vinexpo. Before the masterclass started, Castle Li, general manager of COFCO Wine & Wine and GreatWall (third from left), posed together with New Zealand Consul-General Hong Kong Carl Worker (fourth from left), who has been an avid Chinese wine drinker.

About 50 guests from the wine trade including sommeliers, importers, winemakers and media attended the GreatWall masterclass. Moderated by Darius Allyn MS (centre), who has travelled frequently to Chinese wine growing regions such as Ningxia and Xinjiang, the masterclass’ panelists included GreatWall winemaker Yu Qingquan (left) and China’s foremost wine expert Li Demei (right). The trio were seen toasting before starting the discussions on GreatWall’s history and its different terroris in different provinces.

While guiding the audience through eight samples made in three different provinces at GreatWall’s estates, professor Li Demei highlighted a local grape known as Longyan or ‘Dragon Eye’, which was made into Greatwall ‘Connoisseur’ Longyan dry white wine 2016. The pink-skinned grape is not an aromatic variety such as Sauvignon Blanc or Torrontés, but its character, according to Li, is similar to Japan’s indigenous grape Koshu. 

Nick Bulleid MW correctly guessed the sugar content in GreatWall’s semi-sweet Chateau Sungod Gewurztraminer, and was awarded a bottle of the sweet wine.

New Zealand Consul-General Hong Kong, Carl Worker, was among one of the guests attending the GreatWall masterclass. Having had his first taste of Chinese wine when he was working as New Zealand Ambassador to China in Beijing, Worker has been closely watching China’s domestic wine industry develop. Speaking to the panel, Worker commanded GreatWall’s efforts in raising the profile of Chinese wine both at home and abroad.

GreatWall winery team posing with the panelists and the drinks business Hong Kong team after the masterclass.

Tmall’s futuristic wine bar featuring a wine dispensing machine drew quite a crowd during Vinexpo. During the three-day trade fair, Vinexpo also announced its partnership with Tmall’s parent company Alibaba Group, which would see the two promoting a “transformational new retail strategy” that could see outlets fully automated, revealing a “Future Bar” concept that uses a robotic waiter to sell wine.

American wine critic James Suckling hosted a masterclass on Italy’s iconic ‘Super Tuscan’ wine Solaia with Renzo Cotarella, CEO of Marchesi Antinori, and Albeira Antinori, president of the group, showcasing a vertical of the wine across 30 years. The wines poured included 1978, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2010, 2013 and the latest 2015 vintage.

Vinexpo hosted a China Conference with a panel of industry experts including Don St Pierre, CEO of Vinfolio; Sarah Heller MW; Alberto Fernandez, managing partner of Torres China; Mike Hu president of the FMCG Business Unit of Alibaba’s TMall; and Tommy Keeling, head of Asia Pacific research at IWSR. Having no doubt about China’s wine market strength, soon projected to be the second biggest by 2020, the panel believes as the market matures, there’s more room for development for smaller brands.

Francisco Honrubia Grijalbo, CEO of Spain’s Groupo Faustino, presented his latest releases at this year’s Vinexpo Hong Kong, among which are his Faustino Eneko, a new wine created with famous Spanish chef Eneko Atxa, using Tempranillo and Graciano, as well as its ICON Edition, a younger and more approachable version of its flagship Gran Reserva range, as the CEO describes it.

Michel Drappier, founder and winemaker of organic Champagne producer Drappier, unveiling its sea-aged Champagne at Vinexpo to a packed crowd. The wine is aged for two years at Saint Malo Bay in sea off the coast of Brittany, 30 metres under water which means the level of pressure inside and outside the bottles is the same. The light and temperature at that depth resembles a Champagne cellar as well he said. 

Gonzalez Byass CEO Jorge Grosse and international marketing manager, Victoria Gonzalez-Gordon, were spotted during Vinexpo showcasing two of the Spanish wine giant’s two wines – the latest Tino Pepe ‘en rama’ fino Sherry and Neyen Malbec from its winery in Chile.

Basile Guibert officially unveiled the rebranded ‘Moulin de Gassac’ at Vinexpo Hong Kong in addition to its ‘Guilhem Range’ featuring red, white and rosé blends and the ‘Pont de Gassac Range’.

Jackson Family Wines’ Pierre Marie Pattieu (second from left) and senior vice president, Gayle Bartscherer (third from left), presented its portfolio to the drinks business team at Vinexpo Hong Kong.

Isabel Guiusasti, director of Chile’s iconic winery, Vina Concha y Toro, posing in front of its booth at Vinexpo Hong Kong. The winery launched its Don Melchor 2016 vintage, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine, at the trade fair, 30 years after its first vintage in 1987.

Annalisa Zanon of Italy’s Prosecco producer Ponte, showcasing a bottle of its premium bubbles at the trade fair in Hong Kong.