Vinfolio.com

WOW! The implications for U.S. export are huge. BTW: Any leads on Hong Kong importers/distributors?

Dear Mr. Bachmann:

Please open a storage facility there. Wine has always been huge in Hong Kong but most people just don't have the space to cellar hundred or thousands bottles of wine. With the tax cut, I can see a lot of room for growth for wine storage business.

I, for one, will use this service if Vinfolio establishes a branch there. My dad, who lives in Hong Kong, needs additional room to cellar his bottles. I can ship him the wines that I have been cellaring for him at Vinfolio SF. I can imagine myself ordering wines for him to take delivery at Vinfolio HK, and vice versa.

1. Based in Hong Kong since 1995, I'm looking for some decent US wineries. If you have some very good contacts, let me know.

2. I have a very large warehouse where I store my own fine wines; if you need some infos, email me or visit : www.vinotecahk.com

3. Mr. Bachmann, email me when you are in HK !
Regards,
Vinoteca

I have been exporting California wine to Hong Kong for the past 8 years. The high tax rate has always been one of the major hurdle for enjoying fine wine in Hong Kong at a reasonable price.

This indeed is the first step toward making Hong Kong a major hub for wine trade in Asia beside Japan. There are several reasons for that:

1) Hong Kong is a relatively mature wine market in Asia (save Japan). Average consumption of wine has been on the rising trend and became mainstream.
2) The general level of wine service professional has increased significantly over the years. There will be 2 local wine professionals getting their master of wine title this year.
3) Restaurants. Hong Kong is known for its culinary excellence rivalling the best in the world. The consumption of wine (especially red wine) in Restaurants is becoming a norm over the years. Yes, it is not uncommon to see customers pairing first growth bordeaux with chinese food. For those who live in US, Chinese food in HK is not the same stuff you have in US. Think French Laundry, Alinea, Daniel, equivalent of food quality.

Then the customer pain point.

1) Storage. Think New York City or Tokyo. In home storage is always a challenge. Having a 200 bottle Eurocave is probably pushing the limit to what a typical wine lover can afford.
2) Efficient Service. Hong Kong is a city that focus on service with high efficiency. A typical middle class family have 1-2 in-home maid to take care of everything from house cleaning to cooking to babysitting. People living a busy life like to avoid chores so that they can be as efficient as possible. I would imagine a just-in-time wine service. Let's say I am having dinner with an important client tonight. My wine advisor, who also oversee my inventory stored in a centrally located warehouse, gets an SMS or VM the day before the dinner and he/she will examine the dinner menu and prepare the wine (chilled / decant hours in advance if needed) so that my client and I will have the best experience, just like what you would do at home for dinner parties. As mentioned earlier, most people's home are too small for hosting dinner parties, so the avenue of choice is usually at a restaurant or at the country club.

Should the country clubs become the next beachhead for fine wine service in Hong Kong? I wouldn't be surprised if the Jockey Club is looking into this opportunity to provide better service to their client and improve client visit frequency and build long term loyalty and engagement to differentiate themselves from the other competitors.

I have been exporting California wine to Hong Kong for the past 8 years. The high tax rate has always been one of the major hurdle for enjoying fine wine in Hong Kong at a reasonable price.

This indeed is the first step toward making Hong Kong a major hub for wine trade in Asia beside Japan. There are several reasons for that:

1) Hong Kong is a relatively mature wine market in Asia (save Japan). Average consumption of wine has been on the rising trend and became mainstream.
2) The general level of wine service professional has increased significantly over the years. There will be 2 local wine professionals getting their master of wine title this year.
3) Restaurants. Hong Kong is known for its culinary excellence rivalling the best in the world. The consumption of wine (especially red wine) in Restaurants is becoming a norm over the years. Yes, it is not uncommon to see customers pairing first growth bordeaux with chinese food. For those who live in US, Chinese food in HK is not the same stuff you have in US. Think French Laundry, Alinea, Daniel, equivalent of food quality.

Then the customer pain point.

1) Storage. Think New York City or Tokyo. In home storage is always a challenge. Having a 200 bottle Eurocave is probably pushing the limit to what a typical wine lover can afford.
2) Efficient Service. Hong Kong is a city that focus on service with high efficiency. A typical middle class family have 1-2 in-home maid to take care of everything from house cleaning to cooking to babysitting. People living a busy life like to avoid chores so that they can be as efficient as possible. I would imagine a just-in-time wine service. Let's say I am having dinner with an important client tonight. My wine advisor, who also oversee my inventory stored in a centrally located warehouse, gets an SMS or VM the day before the dinner and he/she will examine the dinner menu and prepare the wine (chilled / decant hours in advance if needed) so that my client and I will have the best experience, just like what you would do at home for dinner parties. As mentioned earlier, most people's home are too small for hosting dinner parties, so the avenue of choice is usually at a restaurant or at the country club.

Should the country clubs become the next beachhead for fine wine service in Hong Kong? I wouldn't be surprised if the Jockey Club is looking into this opportunity to provide better service to their client and improve client visit frequency and build long term loyalty and engagement to differentiate themselves from the other competitors.

I have been exporting California wine to Hong Kong for the past 8 years. The high tax rate has always been one of the major hurdle for enjoying fine wine in Hong Kong at a reasonable price.

This indeed is the first step toward making Hong Kong a major hub for wine trade in Asia beside Japan. There are several reasons for that:

1) Hong Kong is a relatively mature wine market in Asia (save Japan). Average consumption of wine has been on the rising trend and became mainstream.
2) The general level of wine service professional has increased significantly over the years. There will be 2 local wine professionals getting their master of wine title this year.
3) Restaurants. Hong Kong is known for its culinary excellence rivalling the best in the world. The consumption of wine (especially red wine) in Restaurants is becoming a norm over the years. Yes, it is not uncommon to see customers pairing first growth bordeaux with chinese food. For those who live in US, Chinese food in HK is not the same stuff you have in US. Think French Laundry, Alinea, Daniel, equivalent of food quality.

Then the customer pain point.

1) Storage. Think New York City or Tokyo. In home storage is always a challenge. Having a 200 bottle Eurocave is probably pushing the limit to what a typical wine lover can afford.
2) Efficient Service. Hong Kong is a city that focus on service with high efficiency. A typical middle class family have 1-2 in-home maid to take care of everything from house cleaning to cooking to babysitting. People living a busy life like to avoid chores so that they can be as efficient as possible. I would imagine a just-in-time wine service. Let's say I am having dinner with an important client tonight. My wine advisor, who also oversee my inventory stored in a centrally located warehouse, gets an SMS or VM the day before the dinner and he/she will examine the dinner menu and prepare the wine (chilled / decant hours in advance if needed) so that my client and I will have the best experience, just like what you would do at home for dinner parties. As mentioned earlier, most people's home are too small for hosting dinner parties, so the avenue of choice is usually at a restaurant or at the country club.

Should the country clubs become the next beachhead for fine wine service in Hong Kong? I wouldn't be surprised if the Jockey Club is looking into this opportunity to provide better service to their client and improve client visit frequency and build long term loyalty and engagement to differentiate themselves from the other competitors.