Ample Opportunities in
World’s Fine Wine Hub
Having a consultant Master of Wine and its own chateau in France sets Bordeaux Wine
Investments (Hong Kong) Ltd apart
“Hong Kong is a great hub - it is very easy to travel around
the region, the city has a low and simple tax regime, a stable
social and political system. English is the official language
which makes it much easier to do business than in other
countries in Asia Pacific. A presence in Hong Kong enables us
to serve the region very well,” Martin Lea, General Manager,
Bordeaux Wine Investments (Hong Kong) Ltd (BWI), said.
The abolition of wine duty in 2008 led to an overnight surge of
interest in wine. Having been a supplier of fine wine to Asia for
many years, BWI knew it could offer an improved experience
for clients by having a permanent base in the region. Since
establishing its first office in Central, Hong Kong, in October
2011, BWI’s business has been flourishing.
BWI currently has three staff and plans to expand its sales
and marketing team by recruiting locally. In the next two years,
the primary focus will still be Hong Kong. “There is enough
business here to keep us busy. We also treasure our longterm relationship with our clients, hoping to turn a five-year
into a 10-year or 15-year relationship, which also reflects our
commitment to the Hong Kong market,” Lea added.
(Chateau Carignan) and invites clients to stay there on tasting
trips. Lea aims to grow the company business by organising
more tasting events and educating customers to develop
their palette. BWI recently started a sequence of events
called “Friday Five at Five” – on Fridays at five o’clock in the
afternoon where clients are invited to taste five different wines
from different regions.
Evolving Business Model
InvestHK was a key element of the company’s success
with Lea appreciating the invaluable support received;
connecting the company to key individuals and developing
business relationships with local wine bars, to participating
in networking events which all proved very useful to the
company’s business.
As the company name suggested, BWI began by focusing
on Bordeaux fine wines. The market and the business model
have evolved since then. Clients have discovered wines from
different properties and regions and are seeking good value
from elsewhere in the world. The company now specialises
not only in Bordeaux but also in Burgundy, Rhone and wines
from Italy; Spain; Germany as well as Champagne and Port
expertise.
Lea finds Hong Kong a fantastic place to work and to live.
“Everybody is very keen to do business and to make things
happen. The city is now considered the world’s fine wine hub.
The trading and logistics all work very well. Clients across
different age groups are very enthusiastic about wine and
the pace they learn about wine is incredible. When it comes
to restaurants and bars, we are simply spoilt for choice,” Lea
enthused.
Partly because of the economic environment, Lea saw a
shift from buying wine for potential investment purposes
to straightforward consumption. Wines are bought and
consumed immediately and customers have higher
expectations about service standards. The company now has
regular shipments from the UK to Hong Kong and has its own
storage facilities in the city in order to deliver the best wine to
its customers at competitive prices.
www.bwi.hk
The company has a consultant Master of Wine to share expert
wine knowledge with customers to enable them to make
informed choices. BWI also owns a Chateau in Bordeaux
www.investhk.gov.hk
Bordeaux Wine Investments (Hong Kong) Ltd
• Established in 1998 by Andy Lench, BWI was set up to
offer wine opportunities for private clients who seek to
collect, consume and invest in fine Bordeaux wine, as
well as other fine wines from around the world
• Established in Hong Kong in October 2011
• Three staff in Hong Kong and the UK
@ Copyright Invest Hong Kong. January 2013. All rights reserved
As Lea sees it, the wine sector as a whole in Asia is still in its
infancy but the market is maturing rapidly. While Hong Kong
is a well-developed market, he found ample opportunities in
the city to expand the company’s business. “In the past, top
wines were popular but consumers are now shifting to more
affordable drinking wines. Some regions we are now covering
with greater emphasis are gaining popularity, e.g., wines from
Spain, South Africa and Australia,” Lea said.