Decanter World Wine AwardsHong Kong mid-market 'strong and solid'
- Monday 14 November 2011
Hong Kong: 'broader than imagined'
In a survey of more than 250 local wine businesses for her Guide to the Hong Kong Wine Trade, Meiburg debunks the idea that Hong Kong wine consumers only drink super-premium or very low quality wine with no middle market.
‘Sixty-two percent of all wine business is mid-market – Hong Kong has a really strong, solid core. That's not what anyone is saying about our market,’ Meiburg told Decanter.com.
According to the research, six out of every 10 bottles sold are between HK$100 and HK$150 – that is, for between £8 and £13 a bottle.
Nine percent of wines sold in the Special Administrative Region sell for less than HK$150 while sales over HK$1000 (£80) represent just 17% of the market.
Meiburg's study is supported by Hong Kong on-trade specialist, Applied Wine.
Christian Pillsbury, managing director, said, 'We hear a lot of hackneyed stories. A lot of people are saying there's no middle market and producers are fooled into believing those stories, but there's been very little consumer research until now.'
'The market is broader than was imagined,' he added.
According to Pillsbury, 73% of local respondents identified themselves as wine drinkers with 22% drinking wine once a week or more. Personal recommendation and brand prestige were the two key purchasing cues with region of origin unimportant.
Have your say!
Dave Jefferson
November 14 21:43
Valerie, I think you are smarter than Decanter. I caught the same muff: they probably should have said 9% below HK$100, and 17% over HK$150, not HK$1000. Somebody at Decanter should sort this out as these numbers are the heart of the article.
Bravo for Debra, saluted by our mutual friend Norma Ratcliffe (First Lady of South African Wine)and proprietor of Warwick Estate.
Lastly, if 72% of HK adults are drinking wine, and 22% drinking at least once a week, a lot of wine is going to be sold locally in years to come.Wahoo!
Irving So
November 14 15:45
Has the "Guide" mentioned how much of the total trade the 250 outlets represent together with an on/off-trade split? I suppose this is essential for putting the conclusions in perspective.
Valerie de Cabrera
November 14 15:44
Very possibly being dumb here but does this make sense:
"Six out of every 10 bottles sold are between HK$100 and HK$150 – that is, for between £8 and £13 a bottle.
Nine percent of wines sold in the Special Administrative Region sell for less than HK$150."
Ramee
November 14 11:15
With over 30 years of wine purchase experience in Hong Kong, I agree with the survey result. Most popular price range is HK$100 to 150/btl.