A panel of Chinese wine market experts will offer insights and analysis on the changing wine industry in Hong Kong and mainland China on November 8 during the HKTDC International Wine & Spirits Fair.
As part of the “Think like an Insider” series organised by WWXplorer and HKTDC for the HKIWSF fair, the talk will offer guidance in an ever-changing wine market both in Hong Kong and mainland China.
China and Hong Kong’s wine markets are faced with headwinds as a result of China’s slowing economy and uncertainties of the ongoing US-China trade war, dragging down overall wine imports and prompting over 2,000 bottled wine importers within China to close down business.
Across the border in Hong Kong, market demand is tepid as well. The problem of Hong Kong is then compounded with months long anti-government protests that dampened the city’s retail sector and hospitality industry which had seen the city cancelling for the first time the Wine & Dine Festival.
Against this background, the expert panel consisting of Alice Tsang, Assistant Principal Economist (Greater China) of HKTDC, Sabrina Hosford, General Manager of Hong Kong & Macau at Summergate Fine Wines, Jonathan Mather, wine consultant and former head of ASC Fine Wines’ South China region, and Emma Gao of China’s leading winery Silver Heights will guide guests through an interactive panel discussion, followed by a Q&A session.
For anyone interested in getting his or her pulse on Hong Kong’s wine market, HKTDC’s Tsang will share the latest figures of the city’s wine trade and key trends shaping Hong Kong’s wine market in the past year, as well as growth prospects for the coming year.
Sabrina Hosford of Summergate Fine Wines, one of the leading wine importers in Greater China owned by Australia’s Woolsworth Group, will shine a light on the challenges and opportunities for Hong Kong wine importers amid monthslong protests and uncertainties of US-China trade war.
Jonathan Mather, a seasoned veteran in China’s wine trade who just stepped down as head of ASC Fine Wines’ South China region, will look at the major changes that shaped China’s wine industry in the past year, as well as the role of e-commerce and Chinese social media in wine branding and marketing in China.
Aside from imported wine market, the rise of China’s domestic wine production is another topic that will be discussed by the panelists.
Hosford will comment on the performance of Chinese wine in the export market using Kanaan as an example.
Meanwhile, Emma Gao from China’s pioneering winery Silver Heights will share her insights on the evolution of China’s domestic wine production in recent years, opportunities and hurdles for Chinese wine against a backdrop of expanding foreign wine investments in China and imported wine.
The one-hour talk will be moderated by Natalie Wang, wine journalist and founder of vino-joy.com, the only English news website created to cover China’s wine industry.
The conference is scheduled for 4-5pm on November 8 at Seminar Room, Hall 3C, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Please click here to register.
