TRADE TALK PRESS CORNER
TRADE TALK PRESS CORNER Kate Tan CEO, Grand Vin Pte Ltd. Tommy Keeling President, IWSR Asia Pacific Office The Name Says It All Grand Vin was founded by Derek Lee, a pioneer in the wine industry in Singapore for more than 20 years. We asked Kate Tan, CEO, Grand Vin Pte Ltd., to firstly tell us his story. Mr Lee left Seagram and started Grand Vin Pte Ltd in 1996. He launched his operation in Singapore after more than 20 years of service as a wine specialist with prestigious brands like Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Laffite), E. Guigal, and Domaine Leflaive. Mr Lee is succeeded by his management team, who combined, have 50 years of experience behind them in the wine business. With an experienced team at the helm, Grand Vin continues to hold multiple exclusive wine agencies and grow its portfolio with prestigious fine wines. Grand Vin has, in recent years, also acquired new agencies like Te Mata, Amelia Park, Domaine Billaud-Simon, Nittardi and Castello del Terriccio. Grand Vin’s Mission Statement is to be the fine wine merchant of choice in Singapore and rest of Asia with an extensive but exclusive portfolio of fine wine brands. How are sales progressing, and what product categories are your “sweet spots” at the moment? Sales have been growing consistently over the years for Grand Vin due to the strength of our portfolio. In recent years, we have seen a marked demand in Burgundies, not just for the renowned names like our crown gem: Domaine de la Romanée Conti. There is also an increase in interest Domaine Faiveley and Domaine Billaud Simon, together with Domaine Leflaive. Asia seems to have built an insatiable appetite for Burgundies! Australia is this year’s country of honour. How do you work with Australian wines? We represent Amelia Park in our portfolio and enjoy a wonderful working relationship with Amelia Park. There are many popular wines from Australia but at Grand Vin, we also strive to promote outstanding wines crafted by very passionate wine makers. Jeremy Gordon, a highlydecorated partner of Amelia Park is one such character. Since launching Amelia Park in 2009, Jeremy has won multiple trophies at high caliber wine shows including Australia’s most coveted: Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy. Amelia Park was again awarded 5 Red Stars in the latest edition of James Halliday’s Wine Companion, confirming it as one of the Best Wineries in the Margaret River Region. What are your key reasons for coming to Vinexpo HK? Vinexpo HK is a great way to catch up with all our agencies in a span of 3 days. Market reviews, new product updates and product tasting, understanding new industry trends, exchange of new sales strategies, and so on, are only a mere 3-hour plane ride away. It is a very wellexecuted show in the vibrant city of Hong Kong where stands are well laid out. Vinexpo has “quality” stamped all over it, which is its key selling point VINEXPO HAS “QUALITY” STAMPED ALL OVER IT, WHICH IS ITS KEY SELLING POINT IWSR STAYING IN TOUCH WITH THE MARKET Tommy Keeling is the President of the IWSR Asia Pacific Office, based in Singapore and responsible for covering north and south east Asian markets. We asked him to tell us a little more about his organisation. The IWSR is the world’s top source of market intelligence for alcoholic drinks and maintains an unparalleled database of drinks brands in over 150 countries, with data going back over 20 years. We also publish the highly respected IWSR Magazine, which is compiled using our data and insights that our analysts gather in the course of their research. What are you primarily looking for at Vinexpo 2018? I will be at Vinexpo Hong Kong to take part in the Wine in China conference and I will also be looking to make new contacts in the drinks business, as well as being on the lookout for any new trends and developments. Australian wines have done well in the region in recent years, especially in China. They benefit from having some big companies that can really invest and develop the category and from geographic proximity. This will be my first Vinexpo, so I am really looking forward to it, as it is one of the premier drinks trade fairs 8 VINEXPO DAILY / DAY 1 / TUESDAY 29 TH MAY 2018
SPECIAL FEATURE: CHAMPAGNES & SPARKLING WINES GLOBAL SPARKLING WINE CONSUMPTION SET TO GROW 2% PER ANNUM According to the latest Vinexpo/IWSR report, sparkling wine sales are forecast to grow by an average 2% year-on-year to 2021. The market will be driven predominantly by North America, but is also showing strong growth in the UK and Asia-Pacific countries such as Australia and Japan. Those two countries helped to push sparkling wine in Asia-Pacific to a total value of .79 billion in 2016 for 9 million cases. © iStockPhoto By 2021 that figure is forecast to rise to .73 billion (15.8 million cases). Prosecco will outstrip other major categories such as Champagne and Cava by 2021 when world Prosecco consumption is set to reach 40 million cases. In the UK, the world’s largest sparkling wine importer, Prosecco is an outstanding success. Nonetheless, the USA is expected to show the most growth in consumption of Prosecco by 2021, while remaining number two behind the UK. Champagne’s shift in focus from Europe to emerging markets looks set to accelerate. Europe’s share of global Champagne volume is forecast to have decreased by 4 percentagepoints on the 2021 horizon, from 80% recorded in 2016. Again this year, Vinexpo will give an excellent cross-section of the sparkling wines market, and you’ll find some of the highlights in the next pages ADVERTORIAL Traditional or Submarine? Champagne Drappier has announced the release of two products that will allow consumers to directly compare its wines matured in seawater compared with the traditional wine cellar. In June 2015, the Champagne house submerged a number of its bottles in the sea, off the coast of Brest, in Brittany. The project, called “Immersion”, was inspired by the seas that covered Champagne 155 million years ago, depositing billions of small shells that were later transformed into the region’s acclaimed Jurassic kimmeridgian limestone. Underwater, the bottles were kept at the same temperature and light level as those stored in Drappier’s cellars. The wine was stored at a depth equal to the pressure that compresses gas in the bottle. Available in selected retail stores in the UK, France, Italy and Japan, Drappier has released a giftbox of two bottles, containing one bottle aged under water, the other in its cellars. CHAMPAGNE IMMERSED IN THE ATLANTIC Housed in a wooden box, complete with ink illustrations by the house’s creative director, Charline Drappier, the Immersion series offers a unique tasting experience that provides the chance to compare different ageing conditions. Each “immersed bottle” is delicately packaged so that the shells, which grew on the bottle as it aged, are not damaged Level 3 / Stand T-60 vinexpodaily.com VINEXPO DAILY / DAY 1 / TUESDAY 29 TH MAY 2018 9
