By Courtney CochranThough wine drinking in Hong Kong is ever on the rise, it still came as a surprise to me when I heard that wine is being made in the city. After all, the flashy metropolis is made of mostly concrete and steel - there's nary a vineyard in site. Having recently visited City Winery in NYC, however, the pieces started coming together as I began to envision the newly faddish urban winery concept taking root overseas - and it turns out that's exactly what's going on in Hong Kong.
Urban Winery Goes Asia
Located in Ap Lei Chau, The 8th Estate Winery makes its "product of Hong Kong" wines with frozen fruit flown in from some of the top winemaking regions around the world (recent vintages were crafted from Italian and Washington State fruit), with grape sources clearly marked on labels. The operation is headquartered in a high-rise warehouse, where visitors can work with a cellar master to create their own blends and even create their own labels. Around since 2007, the winery has produced some 100,000 bottles so far and looks poised to capitalize on the newfound fervor for wine in Asia, which now consumes some 7% of the global wine market. As winery director Lysanne Tusar put it to Reuters, "the demographic and the population here love wine. It's becoming a daily beverage."
Indeed.
Located in Ap Lei Chau, The 8th Estate Winery makes its "product of Hong Kong" wines with frozen fruit flown in from some of the top winemaking regions around the world (recent vintages were crafted from Italian and Washington State fruit), with grape sources clearly marked on labels. The operation is headquartered in a high-rise warehouse, where visitors can work with a cellar master to create their own blends and even create their own labels. Around since 2007, the winery has produced some 100,000 bottles so far and looks poised to capitalize on the newfound fervor for wine in Asia, which now consumes some 7% of the global wine market. As winery director Lysanne Tusar put it to Reuters, "the demographic and the population here love wine. It's becoming a daily beverage."
Indeed.
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