The China Club in Hong Kong was the site of recent tasting of BC wines, attracting over 40 industry professionals from the sought after Hong Kong market.
The expert-led wine tasting and seminar featured 16 premium BC VQA Wines, exploring wine styles from BC including Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and red blends from the Okanagan Valley and Similkameen Valley.
The industry has recently turned its focus on export markets and gaining international recognition for its wines.
“This was an exclusive opportunity to promote the specific climates and terroirs that give BC VQA wines their unique, premium positioning in the Hong Kong market,” said Miles Prodan, BC Wine Institute President. “This is an exciting time for our industry, as our wines continue to attain international awards in premier wine competitions, gaining traction among top wine critics in the world.”
“We are very excited to be collaborating with the British Columbia Wine Institute to present the high-quality wines of British Columbia to the trade in Hong Kong,” said Ivy Ng, The Drinks Business Hong Kong publisher. “The quality, balance and diversity of the wines speak for the decades of hard work and conviction that have gone into giving this region of Canada an amazing line-up of wines, putting it on the wine world map as a quality region.”
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada report that Canadian wine exports have increased 400 per cent since 2010. As of August 2016, total BC wine exports to all countries have increased 117 per cent in Canadian dollars per litre since 2011.
After the removal of wine import duties in February 2008, Hong Kong became a wine trading and distribution hub for Asia. China currently ranks as the top export market for Canadian wine, although Canada’s total exports to China remain low compared to other wine exporting nations.
Funding for the masterclass was provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Government of British Columbia.
Participating BC VQA Wineries
C.C. Jentsch Cellars
CedarCreek Estate Winery
Clos du Soleil Winery
Culmina Family Estate Winery
Ex Nihilo Vineyards
Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery
Laughing Stock Vineyards
Martin’s Lane Winery
Meyer Family Vineyards
Okanagan Crush Pad Winery Haywire
Osoyoos Larose Estate Winery
Poplar Grove Winery
Quails’ Gate Winery
Sperling Vineyards
Summerhill Pyramid Winery
Tantalus Vineyards
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