Ep. 2535 Inside Hong Kong’s Wine Scene with Reeze Choi, Best Sommelier of Asia & Pacific 2025 | Asia Wine Market
Asia Wine Market
Episode Summary
<think> I need to create a concise content analysis of the provided podcast transcript about the Hong Kong wine market, following the specific format requested. Let me first understand what I'm working with. The text is a transcript of a podcast episode titled "Ep. 2535 Inside Hong Kong's Wine Scene with Reeze Choi, Best Sommelier of Asia & Pacific 2025". It features an interview with Rhys Choi (who is referred to as Reeze/Reeze Choi in the title but as Rhys in the transcript), who is described as: - Best Sommelier of Asia & Pacific 2025 - Founder of Sam's Philosophy (a sommelier services and wine consultancy) - Advanced sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers - Holds the ASI diploma gold - WSET educator - Placed third at the 2023 Best Sommelier of the World - Won Best Sommelier of Greater China multiple times The podcast covers: 1. An overview of the Hong Kong wine market post-COVID 2. Consumer preferences and trends 3. Top performing Italian wines in Hong Kong 4. Practical strategies for market entry 5. Cultural adaptation and long-term planning for success Let me analyze the key themes from this transcript: **Key Themes:** 1. **Post-COVID Market Recovery**: The transcript discusses how Hong Kong's wine market was significantly impacted by the pandemic (2020-2024), with reduced nightlife, people spending more carefully, and restaurants closing early. However, there are positive signs of recovery with increased restaurant activity, Halloween period showing 30-40% income increases for some establishments, and optimism for 2026. 2. **Consumer Behavior Shifts**: There's a polarization in spending - consumers either buying the most expensive wines or the cheapest options. Younger consumers prefer sweeter, lower-alcohol wines (like Moscato d'Asti), while established consumers go for classic, recognizable names (Barolo, Brunello, Chianti). There's also mention of growing interest in non-alcoholic beverages (like sparkling tea), though traditional wine remains dominant. 3. **Italian Wine Performance**: Italian wines are very popular in Hong Kong, with Barolo, Brunello, Chianti, and Moscato d'Asti performing particularly well. Italian wines are seen as offering good value compared to French wines, especially for top-tier offerings. The transcript mentions that Italian government is investing in promoting Italian wines in Hong Kong. 4. **Market Entry Strategies**: For Italian wineries (especially smaller/family-owned), the advice is to work with smaller distributors who truly appreciate their wines rather than large importers. Specific distributors mentioned include Cheese Meats Wine, Deco Wine, and Wine Culture. The podcast emphasizes the importance of personal connections and showing up in Hong Kong to meet clients. 5. **Marketing and Adaptation**: Key recommendations include modernizing labels to appeal to younger consumers, providing detailed technical information on websites, and focusing on storytelling about sustainability practices (even without formal certification). Small, intimate tasting events are recommended over expensive wine dinners for smaller wineries. Now, let me check if there are any additional insights from the search results that might complement this analysis: From search result [1], I see: - Hong Kong wine market expected to continue diversifying by 2025 - Consumers prefer higher-priced quality wines - Sustainability and organic wines are growing in popularity - Digital transformation is reshaping wine sales models - Chinese wines are gaining traction in Hong Kong From search result [2]: - Diversity of wine choices is becoming the norm - Younger consumers are driving wine trends - Wine investment and collecting is emerging as an interest - French wine brands like Saint Mas are gaining traction From search result [3]: - Red wine dominance in China is declining - Lighter styles, white wines, and sparkling wines are gaining market share - Sparkling wines are becoming part of everyday consumption habits From search result [4]: - Hong Kong's demand for fine wine is increasing - Buyers of Burgundy (particularly white Burgundy) in Hong Kong are driving demand - Lower interest rates and favorable prices are contributing to market recovery From search result [5]: - Growing optimism about China's wine market development - Increasing interest in white and sparkling wines - Key growth drivers: attracting new consumers, creating new wine-drinking occasions, localized digital storytelling From search result [6]: - Premiumization continues: consumers willing to invest in quality - Sustainable choices are dominating - No/low alcohol alternatives gaining momentum - Flavor exploration and innovation in taste profiles From search result [7]: - Despite a significant drop in wine imports, Hong Kong's wine industry is adapting to changing consumer habits and economic challenges From search result [8]: - Chinese wines have broken into Hong Kong's top 10 for the first time From search result [9]: - ProWine Hong Kong 2025 concluded successfully, indicating industry engagement Now I'll craft the content analysis following the requested format: **Content Analysis** **Key Themes (max 5 points)** 1. [theme] 2. [theme] **Summary (max 200 words)** [Brief summary] **Key Takeaways (max 6 points)** - [takeaway] - [takeaway] **Notable Quotes (max 3)** - "[quote]" **Follow-up Questions (max 3)** 1. [question] I need to be concise and stay within the word limits specified. </think> **Content Analysis** **Key Themes (max 5 points)** 1. Post-COVID market recovery with cautious optimism for 2026 2. Polarized consumer spending patterns (premium vs. value extremes) 3. Italian wines' strong performance, particularly classic regions (Barolo, Brunello, Chianti) and Moscato d'Asti 4. Importance of personal connection and storytelling for market entry success 5. Growing significance of modern packaging, digital presence, and sustainability narratives **Summary (max 200 words)** The podcast details Hong Kong's wine market recovery following challenging economic conditions from 2020-2024. While the market experienced reduced nightlife and cautious spending post-pandemic, recent indicators like 30-40% revenue increases during Halloween suggest positive momentum. Consumer behavior shows polarization—patrons either select premium wines or the most affordable options. Italian wines maintain strong popularity, with classic regions (Barolo, Brunello, Chianti) and Moscato d'Asti performing well due to their value proposition and alignment with consumer preferences. Younger consumers favor sweeter, lower-alcohol options, while established drinkers prioritize recognizable names over taste exploration. For market entry, smaller Italian wineries are advised to partner with specialized distributors rather than large importers, focus on intimate tasting events, and modernize labels to appeal to younger demographics. Sustainability narratives are increasingly important, though wine quality remains paramount. The sommelier emphasizes that Italian wineries should maintain cultural authenticity while adapting presentation for Hong Kong consumers, with 2026 forecasted as a promising year for market growth. **Key Takeaways (max 6 points)** - Hong Kong's wine market is recovering with strong signs of improvement since late 2024, particularly in restaurant sectors - Consumers exhibit polarized spending behavior—choosing either premium or budget options with little middle ground - Italian wines succeed through recognizable regional names and better value proposition compared to French counterparts - Smaller wineries should partner with specialized distributors who appreciate their unique offerings rather than large importers - Modernized packaging and digital presence are crucial for attracting younger consumers while maintaining wine quality - Personal engagement through small tasting events and authentic storytelling outweighs expensive marketing campaigns for market entry **Notable Quotes (max 3)** - "People tend to spend more carefully compared to before COVID... either the people spend their money for the most expensive wine on the list, or they go for the wine bottle, the cheapest wine bottle on the list." - "Keep the passion, you know, Italian Italy... why I love Italian so much? It's the passion, how they respect their culture." - "For the youngest generations... you buy the most beautiful one, the one covered for cool labels... so for so many Italian wine labels, I see that they are very, very old school style." **Follow-up Questions (max 3)** 1. How can Italian wineries effectively balance traditional winemaking practices with the need for modern marketing approaches in Hong Kong? 2. What specific digital strategies have proven most effective for wine brands targeting Hong Kong's younger consumers? 3. How might the growing presence of Chinese wines in Hong Kong's market (as noted in recent import data) impact Italian wine producers' positioning strategies?
About This Episode
During a conversation between representatives from Citrus Sparkling Tea, Vivang, and Star Wine List, they discuss the increasing popularity of the Chinese market and the benefits of Italian wine in Hong Kong. They also discuss the rise of nonalcoholic drinks and the excitement of traditional wine tasting. Speakers discuss the importance of tailor-made menu and service, language, and social media for promoting the wine program, and the need for language and marketing content. They also emphasize the importance of showcasing the winery's brand and certification, and offer advice on being concise and staying passionate in the industry.
Transcript
Before COVID and after COVID, the spending tendency the lifting tendency changed. We experienced really bad economic in Hong Kong since 2020 to 2024. I can't say people doesn't have the money, but they tend to spend more carefully compared to before COVID. But in the past few months, as we can see that the restaurant's getting more and more better. And as we just had Halloween, we saw the news about the Halloween that the street was crowded. Some shops, some restaurants, and bars said to the newspaper about 30 to 40% of income increase during the Halloween period. We can see that Hong Kong is getting better. The market is getting better. It's still growing in the future months. 2026 will be a good year to us at forecast. Welcome to Asia Wine Market, the series that takes you inside the most dynamic and fast evolving wine markets across Asia. I'm your host, Roze. And in each episode, we'll uncover the stories, trends, and opportunities shaping the future of wine in this vibrant region. Whether you are a winery looking to expand in Asia or a wine professional exploring global trends, this series is for you. Welcome to Asia wine market series. Two weeks ago, we shared a detailed breakdown of the Chinese markets, and today, we're shifting our focus to Hong Kong. I'm thrilled to welcome the best sommelier of Asia and Pacific 2025, Rhys Choi. Rhys is the founder of Sam's Philosophy, a sommelier services and wine consultancy company. He's an advanced sommelier with the court of master sommeliers, holds the ASI diploma gold, and is a WSET educator. He placed third at the twenty twenty three best sommelier of the world and has won best sommelier of Greater China multiple times. Rhys is also a brand ambassador for Citrus Sparkling Tea, Vivang, and Star Wine List, and also a wine consultant for Yata supermarket chain. And besides that, he launched a winemaking project in Hiroshima with Vinyobla Vineyard and Winery in 2023. Alright. So welcome, Rhys. We're very happy to have you here today. Thank you very much for having me. So excited about this podcast. And the pleasure is ours. And not long time ago, Rhys visited my home country, Kazakhstan, to take part as a judge in the, best sommelier of Kazakhstan competition. So, Rhys, just shortly, this was your first trip in Kazakhstan. So what do you think about our country? It was a really, really impressive and eye opening trip for me. You know? I never been to this country before, and I know nothing about this country. I don't know about food, the culture, and then how it looks like. Nothing about this country. And my imagination before I land this country, I thought that I'm going to land between the fields surrounded by horses and cows. But, you know, it's really, like, impressive. I'm so surprised by, you know, how busy it was. The F and B scenes was super, you know, stunning, and then the hospitality of people was really, really impressive. So I was so surprised along the journey in Kazakhstan. And thank you for, you know, for having me in the country, and then I enjoyed a lot the food, and then I tried some, like, very interesting drink, the horse milk. Mhmm. So, yeah, I I enjoyed a lot. Okay. That's great to hear. I hope that you will have another chance to visit our country again. And not only Almaty, but also Astana, the capital city, and probably just just traveling, not only for wine, but also as a as a tourist maybe. I wish to. Yeah. Okay. Before we dive in into our main topics of today, can you please briefly walk us through how your journey in wine began, and what inspired you to start your own consultancy, Somme's philosophy? Yeah. I started my career when I was 21, which is sixteen years ago. I'm 37 now. And I started to learn about wine about fourteen years ago. And then I joined my first competition in 2013, and then I'm still competing. I'm preparing for my, world competition next year. I found that, you know, there's lots of places that are really short of manpower, or some small restaurants or sushi restaurants, they can't afford a souvenir to stand on the floor for them, but they still want to have good enough wine program for their restaurants and bar. So I saw that this is a good business chance, so I just go for it. And I started my company in 2020. It's five years now, and I served couple of restaurants in Hong Kong and also a supermarket chain. And I also am ambassador for some clients as well. You just talked about it in the in introduction. Yeah. And about my wine, how I started it, I don't have a very romantic story to share. It was about money. It was, like, my manager told me, if you learn about wine, you can get more salary, and then that was the first simple reason. Because of money, I started to learn about wine. But, you know, when you started this journey, you found that it is super interesting to learn about wine. And more and more you learn, the less you know, you realize that you don't know so many thing. So that's why I started my journey. Money is a pretty good motivation to start something. Yes. My first five dining restaurants were Italian restaurants, so I started my wine journey with Italian wine, not French wine. To me, Italian, it is complicated to learn, but it's relatively compared to the other country, it's relatively easier for beginners. I mean, like, the pronunciation of Italian is so straightforward. You read the name, you know how to pronounce it, doesn't like the German or the French. So I'm lucky enough to get started with Italian wine. Well, yeah, Italian wine is, like, the brand's names, at least how many letters you see, so many sounds you usually pronounce. Not always, but most of the time. It's not like French, like, word consisting of 10 letters, but only five of them you have to pronounce. That's true. Alright. Thank you for sharing your personal story. I prepared a lot of questions, and I'm a bit scared that we won't finish on time. So that's why let's dive into our main focus for today. So our three learning objectives are we're going to understand the Hong Kong wine market consumer preferences and top performing Italian wines. We are going to learn practical strategies for market entry, partnerships, and brand activation. And third, we are going to gain insights on cultural adaptation, education, and long term planning for success, especially for Italian wineries in Hong Kong market. So to begin, so can you give us a short overview of the market today, key trends, and also consumer preferences? Yeah. So it is a huge difference. I I mean, this is similar to the other countries or the other cities in the world. Before COVID and after COVID, the spending tendency or the lifting tendency changed. Especially in Hong Kong after the COVID, we don't have that much of nightlife. I mean, people tend to go home earlier, and then the restaurants tend to be, you know, closed very early. When you go out at 09:00 in the evening in the central of Hong Kong, nine to ten, the street was empty, so we experienced or we suffered couple of years really bad economic in Hong Kong since twenty twenty to twenty twenty four. The spending power of people getting lax for a couple of years. I I can't say people doesn't have the money, but they tend to be spend the money carefully, more careful compared to before COVID. The average chat of the restaurants dramatically decreased a lot. I'm working for a supermarket, so the most sales item in our supermarkets is the lowest price on the rack. So in restaurants, you don't have to meet the range. So either the people spend their money for the most expensive wine on the list, or they go for the wine bottle, the cheapest wine bottle on the list. So you can see that there are two extremes of two type of customer in the markets too. And, yes, and during the COVID, retail shop, online shop, doing super well. I mean, because they can't go out to the restaurants and spend their money on wine, so instead of, they spend their money on the In
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