“Choosing a bottle is a moment of intense enjoyment involving speculation, hesitation and questions. The high-point, tasting, then follows and is always in three steps: the eye scrutinises the robe and its tints, the nose takes in the aromas, the palate assesses the wine’s flavours, its strength, balance and length. (…) But the ultimate pleasure is perhaps the best of all, that of talking about the wine in question.”

Albert Frère, owner of Château Cheval Blanc. (Source: Le Figaro)

Jointek Fine Wines is planning to move its headquarters to Hong Kong to take advantage of the city’s decision to scrap all duties on wine. Jointek also hopes to benefit from better logistics in Hong Kong. The company’s current base is Guangzhou. (Source: The drinks business)

The Vinexpo Overseas Supervisory Board unanimously adopted the motion to organise the next Asia-Pacific exhibition in Hong Kong again on 25, 26 and 27 May 2010.The 2008 exhibition was unanimously recognised to be a success by exhibitors and visitors alike.
Participants’ satisfaction was not however the only criterion taken into account by the Supervisory Board, chaired by Ms. Dominique Hériard Dubreuil. The latest business indicators all show that Asia is one of the most promising markets in the world and that the industry has confidence in its growth. (Source: Vinexpo)

With 6,200 members, who run 63,000 hectares of vines and produce 440 million bottles, the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur appellations’ winegrowers’ union is the leading AOC organisation in France. All Bordeaux wines represent a turnover of 3.5 billion euros; 1.5 billion is generated by this union which sends 60% of all Bordeaux wines to market worldwide. (Source: Objectif Aquitaine)

South-African wines are taking over markets in the African continent, which has become their fourth largest export destination. According to Wines of South Africa, well-off economies now prefer to seek their supplies in sub-Saharan areas rather than Europe, their traditional supplier. In 2006, South-African wines had less than a 10% market share in Africa. (Source: VSB)

Amazon.com expects to start selling American wine inside the US within a few weeks, according to the Napa Valley Vintners Association (NVVA). Terry Hall, spokesman for the 315-member trade organization, said the NVVA has arranged workshops for producers who might want to sell their wine via Amazon. “The step forward with Amazon being a wine retailer is just more testament to the fact that Americans are really becoming a wine-drinking economy”, said Terry Hall. (Source: Decanter.com)

Since customs duties on wines have no longer been levied in Hong Kong, the consequences have been encouraging for all players in the wine market here. The clear winner is the consumer, who is paying significantly lower retail prices between 15% and 20% less. Producers have also benefited from greater, more diverse demand, and finally the government itself is spared of the considerable expense in time and money spent collecting the duty. (Source: Revue Vinicole Internationale)