Chinese red to make a splash

Wallis Wang

Some 140,000 visitors are expected to savor the Wine and Dine Festival, which will resume for the first time in five years and feature Chinese wine for the first time.

The four-day event from October 26 at Central Harbourfront will give Hongkongers a chance to taste wine from 36 countries and regions and cuisine from 17 countries, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said.

The event was last hosted in 2018 before getting canceled due to social unrest and later the pandemic.

The board's general manager of event and product development Raymond Chan Chun-man said there will be 300 food and beverage stalls and music performances to help boost the night economy.

The estimated number of festival goers expected is slightly lower than the 168,000 in 2018 when the event celebrated its 10th anniversary.

"According to our experience, a lot of visitors actually prefer to go in the evening and this should help boost the night economy," Chan said.

He said it will be hard to estimate the number of overseas and mainland tourists arrivals.

"We are just resuming physical events so it's hard to tell how many tourists will join the activities," Chan said.

"We hope to improve the overall atmosphere and have already launched promotions in overseas countries and the mainland."

Chan said the board plans to invite delegates to the Seatrade Cruise Asia Pacific - a major cruise industry trade show to be held at the end of October - to come over to the wine and dine fest.

Enthusiasts can buy event tickets and tasting passes online for HK$200 to HK$400 from October 10.

Chinese wine from eight wineries in Shandong, Ningxia and Yunnan provinces will be available.

These include Xige Estate N609 Dry Red, which is made of Chinese-grown wine grape variety Cabernet Gernischt and was presented to French President Emmanuel Macron by President Xi Jinping at a state banquet in April.

Wine from Thailand and Singapore will also be available, including low-alcohol beverages for the health conscious people.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com