Corney & Barrow opens Singapore office

UK fine wine merchant Corney & Barrow has opened an office in Singapore, adding to its existing bases in London and Hong Kong.

Established at the end of last year, the Singapore office is managed by regional sales manager Kate Tan, who reports to Corney & Barrow’s Hong Kong sales manager Cecily Chambers.

“Everybody’s looking at Hong Kong but nobody’s really looking at Singapore,” said Adam Brett-Smith, managing director of Corney & Barrow, of the decision to expand in this direction. Despite this lack of attention from UK merchants, he maintained: “In that part of the east, Thailand, Malaysia there’s a lot of potential.”

Comparing Singapore wine consumers with those in Hong Kong, Brett-Smith suggested: “Singapore is probably a slightly freer-thinking market; they’re more open to new producers from new wine areas.”

In line with this confidence and curiosity among Singapore’s wine lovers, he pointed to the widespread popularity of “mini-masterclasses at home and blind tastings” in this market. “It’s intellectual but there’s consumption too,” summed up Brett-Smith. “They’re actually pulling corks and drinking these wines.”