Hong Kong and the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) have recently signed a new five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at deepening cooperation in wine and gastronomy tourism promotion between Hong Kong and Bordeaux.
Under the latest MOU, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) will deepen collaboration across five key areas, including enhanced programming at the annual Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, joint promotions in key overseas markets, collaborative consumer campaigns, knowledge exchange in wine and gastronomy tourism, and broader industry-level cooperation.
As one of the world’s leading wine trading hubs and a major centre for fine wine consumption, Hong Kong continues to hold an outsized role in Bordeaux’s global export strategy.
According to the latest figures released by the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), Hong Kong, a city of 7.4 million people, remained Bordeaux’s fourth-largest export market in 2024. The figures underscore the city’s enduring importance as Asia’s gateway for premium French wines, even as the broader Chinese wine market undergoes significant structural change.
In fact, wine cooperation between Hong Kong and Bordeaux dates back nearly two decades. The two sides first signed a wine cooperation agreement in 2008, shortly after Hong Kong abolished wine duties and positioned itself as Asia’s wine trading and auction hub. The newly signed agreement further expands the partnership into wine and culinary tourism promotion.
“Since 2009, with the strong support of CIVB, the HKTB has successfully developed the ‘Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival’ into one of Asia’s most anticipated annual culinary events, with Bordeaux wines being a particularly popular highlight,” HKTB Chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok stated.
He added that Hong Kong will also showcase its rich and diverse culinary and wine culture to the world at the globally renowned “Bordeaux Fête le Vin.”
Philippe Tapie, vice president of the CIVB, expressed excitement about further deepening cooperation and embracing new opportunities.
He said the partnership would not only strengthen culinary cultural exchange between the two regions, but also leverage Hong Kong’s gateway position to showcase the distinctive qualities of Bordeaux wines and gastronomy to China, Asia and the wider world.
Bordeaux wines have long occupied a privileged position in Hong Kong’s market.
CIVB data showed Bordeaux exported 39,000 hectolitres of wine to Hong Kong in 2024, down 7% year-on-year, while export value fell 10% to €157 million.
Despite the decline, Hong Kong still ranked as Bordeaux’s fourth-largest export market globally.
Remarkably, Bordeaux’s exports to the city of seven million people nearly matched the €174 million worth of exports shipped to mainland China, a market with a population exceeding 1.4 billion.
The figures highlight Hong Kong’s continued importance not only as a fine wine consumption market, but also as a premium trading and distribution hub for the wider Asian region.
While Hong Kong government import statistics do not break down imports by specific French wine regions, broader French wine import data still reflects the importance of Bordeaux, Burgundy and other premium French appellations in the city’s market.
France remained overwhelmingly dominant, with imports totaling HK$4.6 billion (approximately US$589 million), accounting for 70.38% of Hong Kong’s total wine import value that year.French wine imports into Hong Kong also continued to grow in 2025, with import volume rising 6.3% year-on-year and import value increasing 9.82%. The increase in French wine imports was also one of the key drivers behind the broader recovery in Hong Kong’s overall wine import market.
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