Australia named ‘Country of Honour’ for Vinexpo Hong Kong 2018

This year, Australia will headline the 20th anniversary event as ‘Country of Honour’, with the largest-ever showcase of 140 exhibitors representing 230 wine brands from over 35 regions.

Held in the wine hub of Asia, Vinexpo Hong Kong is the key trade-only wine and spirits exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region. The invite only event attracts top decision making importers, buyers and sommeliers, and provides a forum for education and trade networking.

Andreas Clark, CEO of Wine Australia said, ‘This is a brilliant opportunity to shine the light on the diversity and premium quality of Australian wine. Greater China is our number one and fastest growing export market, so Australia taking the title of Country of Honour will help strengthen our position in the market, and enable us to showcase the breadth of fine Australian wine to some of the most influential people in the region,’.

As Country of Honour, Australia will have the privilege of hosting a range of masterclasses to immerse attendees in the broad Australian wine offering. There will also be a dedicated tasting area and educational activities being held during the exhibition.

Guillaume Deglise, CEO of Vinexpo said, ‘Vinexpo is very proud to host Australia as country of honour for the 20th anniversary of the fair in Hong Kong. The connection with Wine of Australia reflects the growing appetency of Asian consumers for Australian wines, and Vinexpo’s objective to enhance the dynamism of the Australian wine industry at the exhibition.’

China is Australia’s number one export market by value, having overtaken the US in September 2016. China and Hong Kong together account for 28 per cent of all Australia’s wine exports, while Asia in total accounts for 39 per cent.

At Vinexpo Hong Kong 2016 there was over 17,200 buyers from 24 countries and 1,300 exhibitors from all over the world.

Top visiting countries at the event include China (including Hong Kong), South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. Exports of Australian wine to these six top visiting countries accounted for a combined $715 million in 2016 and have increased by 79% in value since 2014. All markets have been growing strongly over the past few years, with exports to China and Hong Kong nearly doubling in value since 2014.

Vinexpo will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 29 - 31 May 2018 and will be followed by Wine Australia’s China Roadshow, which takes Australian winemakers around China.