Festival exceeds grape expectations

Ayra Wang

Exhibitors reported sales exceeded expectations as the five-day Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival concluded yesterday.

The annual festival, held at the Central Harbourfront Event Space, featured over 300 wine and food booths this year.

Among them, Wyatt International Trading, a local company selling Scotch whisky, said traffic was better than expected.

"There were crowds of people every night," sales director Elvis Liu told The Standard, adding that Wyatt will join the festival again next year.

But Xiban Winery, a repeat exhibitor featuring red wine from Ningxia, observed fewer visitors this year.

Staff member Liu said more mainland wine suppliers joined this year, which led to fiercer competition, but the winery's sales are "in line with expectations."

She also said more customers showed interest in buying high-end wine instead of low-priced table wine.

"It's a good thing the event provides food, which helped draw people to our booth for wine pairings," Liu added.

Besides wine suppliers, first-time exhibitor Tea Chateau said they were satisfied with business.

"Many non-alcohol lovers and those who felt thirsty after drinking wine came to our booth to buy a cup of tea," said staff member Christy.

She said business was "slightly affected" by the rain on Saturday but beyond expectations most of the time.

One citizen, Chan, said the atmosphere was good and hopes there will be more booths featuring overseas cuisine next time.

Clara, who moved to Hong Kong from Malaysia, said festival goers were spoiled for choice.

"It's nice to see a lot of wines you cannot find in Hong Kong, to try [products] you are not usually exposed to," she said.

Gu, a tourist from Shenzhen, visited specifically for the event.

She suggested that organizers give out unlimited drinking tickets next year for a better experience but also said she is coming back to the city for the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair next month.