Following a very successful London International Wine Fair we have headed east to Hong Kong for the Vinexpo wine show which starts tomorrow. Hong Kong, with its population of 7 million, is for many wine exporters the stepping stone into China.
Vinexpo has become one of the most important wine shows that we attend. China is the 8th largest consumer of wine in the world and the 10th largest producer.
The growth is not just confined to China. In the 10-year period from 2004 to 2013, wine consumption in Asia-Pacific should grow by 86 million cases, which is 10 times faster than the world average, the International Wine and Spirits Record said in a report commissioned for Vinexpo.
China imported China imported $600 million of imported wines in 2009, a 60% year-on-year growth.