Uncorking The Hong Kong Wine Industry with Renowned Hong Kong Wine Expert - Rodney Lloyd
Christopher KL Lau
Through the decade, Hong Kong has slowly transformed itself into the Asia Pacific's premier wine hub and its influence in this field is still growing further as it now acts as the gateway to the rapidly developing Chinese market.
Until recently, wine could only be enjoyed and sampled by a few of the elite, though as standards of living have improved and people have greater disposable incomes, the enjoyment of wine by all sectors of society has grown. Wine is now a welcome addition to any dinner party or social function; people have grown from simply consuming for the sake of consuming to becoming more interested in learning about the production from the vineyards to the bottling process
Since the removal of all duty related customs and administrative controls for wine in 2008, the industry has surged and there are now over one thousand wine related companies in Hong Kong and a growing number of experts and commentators.
Many Hong Kongers are flocking to wine courses and training themselves to become more than just simple casual drinkers. There are now a vast number of wine related events and the annual Hong Kong "Wine and Dine Festival" is the show piece event for Hong Kong's wine lovers, experts and connoisseurs to sample and serve the city's insatiable desire.
The levels of interest and consumption are to the extent that Hong Kong now has the highest average per capita consumption levels in the entire world and this is growing even further. It is projected that overall regional demand for wine consumption will double to an incredible twenty-seven billion US dollars by 2017; the levels of demand are simply staggering and off the scale. As the Chinese middle class continues to grow and with money to burn, expect these figures to increase even further.
Rodney Lloyd is one of Hong Kong's premier experts who has been on the scene for the past few years. Lloyd has given many presentations, samplings and talks in Hong Kong and other places in Asia and definitely knows his Merlots from his Chardonnays. Here in an exclusive interview, Lloyd discusses the wine culture in Hong Kong and shares his opinions on the growing market in China.
Interview
When did your interest in wine begin?
Rodney Lloyd: My interest in wine was only recent. It was around four years ago when I purchased a wine only because of its attractive packaging (Alter Ego de Palmer) as an experiment and after tasting it, was hooked instantly by the lush fruit, velvet textures and smooth taste and finish. I was surprised and impressed with how complex and beautiful wine can be and it got me curious about wines as an asset class for investment, for pleasure by seeking and tasting other wine grapes and regions. From that point on I never looked back. It is quite easy in Hong Kong to feel compelled to at least experiment with wine given the abundance of suppliers, promotions, and tasting events here in any given week!
What formal training did you undertake to become such a renowned wine expert? Or are you self-taught?
Rodney Lloyd: I did find two things useful in my 'wine journey' so to speak. The first was taking classes to at least set the foundation of knowledge and to point me in the right direction when it comes to assessing wines I come across. The Wine and Spirits Trust (WSET) is popular and increasingly so in the region and I took the first exam with that objective in mind. The second is to attend as many wine tastings and events as possible across a broad spectrum of wine regions and price points. By tasting so many different wines I not only knew what wines I preferred personally but I was able to differentiate between the different wines and take notes along the way with a view to recommending these to others and to further self knowledge. So the answer in my view is to take some classes at least to understand the basics then to teach yourself by tasting.
What constitutes a good wine? What factors do you look for yourself?
Rodney Lloyd: This is a difficult question and the answer may vary depending on individual taste and objective such as the consumer versus professional tasters. Personally, I would consider various factors in determining whether I like the wine or not including whether the wine adequately reflects the region it represents and quality of the vintage from which it is produced. Indeed one should certainly experiment and taste as many grapes and regions as possible in making this determination. My taste changes as well so my personal favourites may vary from month to month from the powerful Australian Shiraz through to the wonderful minerality of the white wines of Burgundy then to the Merlot grape dominated powerful wines of the Right Bank of Bordeaux and if I wanted something different, will try out the new world red wine blends and Chardonnay of North and South America. I was only able to determine this through tasting and my process of discovery has barely begun!
Hong Kong has seen a growth in the popularity of wine? Why do you think this has happened? Is this also happening in China itself?
Rodney Lloyd: In Hong Kong, I believe two reasons are behind the popularity of wine. The first is monetary and proximity to China and the second is entrepreneurship and low barriers of entry. Much has been written about the explosion in growth since the removal of wine duty in Hong Kong and while this has certainly created the foundation for opportunity in this area, the entrepreneurship of Hong Kong and ease of establishment of a business in this area are key contributing factors. Many private investors and backers of wine businesses in Hong Kong, themselves wine lovers, are keen to extend their hobby and interest into what they would consider an attractive opportunity. In addition, large scale heavily promoted events in the territory has certainly helped to drive curiosity among consumers here. For entrepreneurs, Hong Kong's proximity and gateway and stepping stone into the China market has benefitted many industries, wine being among them.
You have promoted wine at events before? If something is distinctly different, how do people normally react?
Rodney Lloyd: It is important to distinguish two types of consumer behavior here. First is tasting and second is purchasing. I find many people are interested to taste wine and are willing to pay a certain price to taste them and give good feedback as to the quality and preferences. However when it comes to actually purchasing wine, most consumers with some knowledge of wine still seem to tend to purchase wines with established brand names and reputation and from recognized wine producing regions for a variety of reasons.
Do you think China can ever become a famous wine producing nation?
Rodney Lloyd: China is already well along the path to making famous, world quality wines and with further expertise gained through learning from professionals from other regions it is certainly feasible that China will have multiple internationally recognized brand name high quality wine producers within the next decade.
In your opinion, which regions produce the best wines and what conditions are conducive to manufacturing top quality wine?
Rodney Lloyd: I would say if one were patient in exploring different wines from all regions, one would find excellent wines across all regions depending on personal preference of course. Weather conditions and wine maker production techniques each year do count towards producing top quality wines but the beauty is that within many regions what may not work for one grape in any given year may actually turn out to be great for other grape.
What's your all time favorite?
Rodney Lloyd: I have tasted a number of wines at different price points but if price was not a consideration and I had to choose, I would have to say either the Chateau Latour 1990, the Chateau Haut Brion 1961 or more recently tasted, the Chateau Trotanoy 1998. If price was a consideration, I would say many red wines from Chile, Argentina and many entry level Burgundy white wines offer tremendous value from a price to quality perspective.
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