Hong Kong is a small but important territory on the southern coast of China. Most famous for its deep harbor, its distinctive skyline and its potency in the world of high finance, Hong Kong has become an important epicenter of commercial wine activity in Asia, linking east with west and Old World with New World.
Hong Kong is officially classed as a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, and covers a small area of just 430 square miles (1100 sq km). The peninsula's large population of more than seven million people means that Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas on Earth, and as a result, little arable land is available for viticulture. Adding to this is Hong Kong's monsoonal, tropical climate, which is not well suited to viticulture. It is unlikely that vines would thrive in Hong Kong.
Instead, Hong Kong's contribution to the global wine industry is economic. The Hong Kong government abolished taxes on imported wines in 2008, and since then, a huge range of wine retailers, distributors and professionals have found a base in the city. As China's wine appetite has grown, so too has Hong Kong’s position as the nation’s key venue for wine business. The city now hosts its own annual wine fair, the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition.
In among the skyscrapers and feverish financial activity, Hong Kong Island is now also home to an urban winery. From the third floor of a harborside office block overlooking the stretch of sea known as the East Lamma Channel, the 8th Estate Winery vinifies a range of wines from frozen grapes imported from as far afield as France, Australia and Italy.
