Is it a roaring trade in the Lion City?
Singapore – Southeast Asia’s global hub nicknamed the Lion City – hosted Vinexpo Asia for the second time last month. db spoke to visitors to assess why the show matters, and what promise the region holds.
Lions may not be native to Singapore – historians hypothesise that the name may have come from a misidentified tiger – but the city’s nickname is apt. Like the lion, Like the lion, Singapore may not be the largest, but it makes up for its size in show, efficiency and reputation.
Thus Vinexpo Asia’s second show in Singapore sought to capitalise on the city state’s prestige. With such an international reputation for business and world-beating facilities, it is an appealing prospect for international visitors.
Yet in these uncertain times, no activities are guaranteed. So, from the 9,000 visitors attending this year, db spoke to producers, importers and exhibitors to discover why they could not miss the three days.
Developing a presence
A common refrain among the companies we spoke with was that Vinexpo Asia 2025 was defined by the quality of its visitors. Even if visitors numbers were slightly lower than two years ago – in that bumper, post-Covid edition it achieved 9,900 – the pedigree of attendees more than made up for a less crowded show floor.
That was of substantial benefit to the most international companies attending. Vinexpo Asia provided a hub for Southeast Asia’s decision makers.
Handpicked Wines, for instance, hit the ground running, able to see half a dozen customers by the fair’s first lunch break. The company’s strategy at Vinexpo Asia was twofold, a mixture of strengthening existing relationships and seeking new clients.
“It’s quality over quantity,” explained Rachel Meisner, export director for Asia. She particularly highlighted how visitors attended with clear intentions: “Buyers have arrived looking for something really specific.”
For Viñedos Familia Chadwick, meanwhile, the appeal was in the reach of the fair. As its representative commented: “All the key people are here at Vinexpo,” highlighting how the attendees “came from all over” to attend the fair.
That meant that, although the Chilean producer has permanent staff in Asia, the fair could expand its impact. Southeast Asia is one of its high priority markets, but so is Northeast Asia, while India is viewed as a potential opportunity. In Singapore, the quintessential ‘melting pot’ city, there is access to all those markets, reflected by Vinexpo Asia’s diverse guestlist.
Emergent companies
Several companies, however, also used Vinexpo Asia as an opportunity to kick their presence in Southeast Asia up a gear. For companies less-established in the region, and indeed new companies entirely, the sheer concentration of producers and buyers could turbo-charge prospects.
The programme of events at Vinexpo Academy, taking place in a series of theatres above the show floor, helped contextualise the fair’s sense of discovery. This was not to be simply a run of pre-booked meetings; instead, Vinexpo Asia sought to open minds and provoke dialogue. Likewise, its hosted podcasts and editorial publication put curiosity high on the agenda.
Hence many exhibitors went to Singapore to find an engaged audience. Spier, a Stellenbosch winery, arrived with aspirations to hit several new markets, including Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia. To do that, it banked on visitors’ curiosity and willingness to try new things.
“We’re physically so far away,” commented Henriëtte Jacobs, “so you need to meet and taste the wines”. Although already in the region, the fair offered a chance to re-introduce the wines, particularly with new vintages and a revised logo to show off.
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Visitors, too, were keen to make discoveries. New Zealand brand Čuvar, which launched in 2023, attended with a drive to explore Southeast Asia’s promising new markets. “We’re trying to get a sense of the landscape,” commented one of the team.
Even local companies turned to the show as a rare opportunity. Although, without local wine production, the show’s flavour is more international than ones elsewhere, Singapore natives still exhibited. Maison Collery, a local importer, used Vinexpo Asia both to find new contacts for nearby markets and to make the case for its Champagnes in the mature, crowded market in Singapore.
New markets with new opportunities
Across the companies that we spoke to, there were common refrains about the business-forward approach among visitors to Singapore. However, some went beyond seeing Southeast Asia as another arm of an international strategy. Several producers were examining the region specifically for its unique opportunities.
In many instances, those opportunities are demographic. With growing economies, an emerging middle class and young drinkers, populations in Southeast Asia look to be lucrative for drinks producers.
Several of these producers are already seeing the younger demographic changing their drinking habits, and therefore came to Singapore to keep their ears to the ground and keep up with trends.
Spier, for instance, has seen conscious consumption influence sales in Singapore and Thailand. The market for its organic wines seems only to be growing. This poses challenges – there are no internationally consistent standards for certification – but also represents a huge opportunity.
Similarly, Small Things Wine, a canned wine producer from Western Australia, has seen promise, despite only being in Singapore for two years and Thailand for one. Its Shiraz has become the most popular option in Thailand and, contrary to received wisdom, it is usually enjoyed chilled there.
Although much is made of wine as a prestige signifier in Southeast Asia, this demonstrates to Ian Batt, its founder, that the market is already diverse. “There are segments to capture without being traditional,” he commented.
A world of wine lovers
As final, related consideration, these new markets seem to provide potential consumers who have a genuine interest and passion for wine. Whether a long-established winery in a famous region or a bold new creation, drinkers seem open to exploring – as long as the quality is there.
It is a view best distilled by Michel Drappier, of the eponymous Champagne house. “Someone who drinks Champagne Drappier in Southeast Asia is rather young, maybe a wine geek rather than a Champagne fan,” he explained. “This is the world of wine rather than the world of marketing.”
With image being less of a driver – if anything, quality is what a bottle seems meant to signify – Southeast Asia is promising for those producers that bank on the wine in the bottle. Refreshingly, that covers broad swathes of the industry.
Both Margaret River and Great Southern in Western Australia ran events in the days around the fair, drawing attention to regions that sometimes fly under the radar, but not for lack of quality.
Even further off the traditionalist’s radar, fine Chinese wines are also taking opportunities in Southeast Asia. At Canaan Winery, the team professes not to mind where in the world the wines are sold, but they do see a curiosity for Chinese wines in Southeast Asia.
Whether well established or new to the game, many producers seem to be banking on that curiosity to build their prospects in Southeast Asia. While Singapore may be a mature market, as a gateway to such a fast-growing region it is clearly on the radar of companies all over the world. In just its second Singapore edition, Vinexpo Asia demonstrated that the Lion City earns its majestic moniker.
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