The Inside Story from Italian Wine Merchants

Hong Kong VinExpo

Posted on | June 2, 2010 | Written by Josh Rubenstein | No Comments

Hong Kong is a quintessential networking town, and VinExpo is a perfect match for this predilection of our fair island. Since making the move to Hong Kong, I’ve felt that working here is enjoyable, because professionals from all industries seem to be especially keen to work together in order to help everyone succeed. Thus, I was delighted to notice upon entering VinExpo that excitement about Italian wines has really grown in this region. IWM Hong Kong’s primary focus remains on Italy’s best wines, and we love how our friends in the trade help us enhance the Italian wine scene in Hong Kong. Judging by what I saw at VinExpo, Italian wine might have seemed like a quiet storm just a year ago, but that storm may soon grow into a typhoon.

Given the number of other amazing offerings at VinExpo, we were delighted to sell out all of our Soldera wine dinners (more on these soon). This feat was a sincere compliment from our clients, because we were well aware of how many tempting options were available each night.  Events ranging from private dinners at the Great Wall of China to extravagant Grand Cru tastings set the tone for a lavish and competitive week in the city. By the time our Thursday dinner event arrived, attendees started to look a little bit fatigued. Complaints about the week’s lavish wining and dining might fall on deaf ears, but VinExpo’s three-day sensory overload led by the world’s greatest Type-A personalities is enough to wear out the best of us. Many of our media friends had worked so hard to report on VinExpo from unique angles that it understandably may have been difficult to enjoy even the most casual of events, let alone nightly launch parties. Seriously, the journalists seemed to need Matrix-like speed and endurance to be as many places as they needed to be.

They weren’t alone.

During the week of VinExpo, the legendary China Club hosted private wine functions in nearly every one of its stylish havens each evening—based on my periodic visits to the club throughout the week, I estimate between six to 10 wine dinners per night. When we met at The China Club’s Long March Bar on Thursday night, Sommelier Henry Chang (Hong Kong’s 2007 Best Sommelier Winner) looked like a man who had coordinated scores of intricate wine dinners. From seeing what they do when we host our wine dinners, I know that The China Club’s team provides outstanding service, and I admit that ours can be more demanding in service needs. Henry was the consummate, if incredibly busy, professional.

In meeting contacts ranging from global importers, to airline food and beverage execs, to esteemed producers and négociants, I found that the most common questions were these: What do we do about China? And what do we expect for 2009 Bordeaux En Primeur? I don’t believe anyone in the room truly had the answers, though speculation was rampant and imaginative. I’m sure there were a few exhibitors who’ll find the right answer and will reap major rewards.  So for now I hope we table those questions and get back to what we do so well in Hong Kong—getting to know each other’s interests and forging collaborative relationships.

And, of course, eating and drinking very well while we do it.

Category: Italian Wine Merchants
Tags: > > > > > > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply