When
Hong Kong eliminated all duties on imported wine last year, no
one could have imagined that imports would rise by a whopping
80% by the year ending March, 2009! That year saw imports top
US$412.5 million.
Financial Secretary Mr. John Tsang says that Hong Kong will also
benefit from the continued rise in mainland Chinese wine
imports, which are expected to hit US $870 million by 2017,
accounting for "58 per cent of the projected market for wine in
Asia, excluding Japan."
Moreover,
last April, British industry consultants, the International Wine
and Spirit Record, reported that Hong Kong's wine consumption is
expected to rise by over 30% by 2012. This increase would make
Hong Kong's population the largest consumers of wine in the
region, at 4.2 liters per person.
And what better way to experience Hong Kong's growing love of
wine than at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair?
Last year, the fair attracted 240 exhibitors from 25 countries
and regions, as well as 8,758 trade visitors from 55 countries
and regions. And 10,096 members of the public visited on its
final day! This year's fair is being held in early November. It
features the inaugural Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit
Competition, during which a panel of judges from China,
Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan will acknowledge the world's
best wines. Judges will select the best wines by country,
region, variety and style. And, in a world-first, the judges
will also select a winner in the Chinese food and wine pairing
category. The HKIWSC is being developed in conjunction with the
IWSC in London, the world's leading wine and spirit competition. |
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