HONG KONG – GATEWAY TO CHINA’S ‘UNQUENCHABLE THIRST’

More China Wine Market News…

Hong Kong imports more than $1 billion in wine from around the world. Thanks to the removal of wine tariffs in 2008, Hong Kong quickly emerged as a regional wine trade and distribution hub for China. The total value of wine exports to Hong Kong has jumped 200 percent since the tariffs were removed. “Hong Kong has successfully broken down a lot of the international barriers and they make it very easy to get into the country” said Benjamin Lee, chairman of Washington Export Group in Seattle who has described the ‘unquenchable thirst’; for high end US wines by wealthy consumers. As the China market continues to grow, even smaller wineries that make 2,000 cases or less, and previously thought they were too small to think about HK and China have seen the facts, “We’re absolutely going to start the process” said Annette, owner of Bergevin Lane Vineyards in Walla Walla USA, who was excited to learn the benefits of doing business in Hong Kong.