Hong Kong For Wine Lovers

Home to a wide array of restaurants and shops with seriously impressive wine lists, it’s easy to see why Hong Kong is a favourite destination for fine wine enthusiasts in Asia

- Jeannie Cho Lee MW

When wine duty was eliminated in Hong Kong in 2008, the wine scene changed dramatically. All the major wine auction houses swooped into the city within months of the announcement, thousands of new wine importers and retailers opened shop, and the city became a magnet for international chefs and sommeliers. By 2010, Hong Kong’s wine auction sales eclipsed those of New York and London, making it the highest revenue generator for most of the major wine auction houses and a mecca for fine wine lovers in Asia.

Then, just as dramatically, the summer of 2019 abruptly halted this growth: Hong Kong was wracked with protests that affected nearly all businesses in tourism, hospitality, and food and beverage. Just as the protests started to settle down in early 2020, the global pandemic further dampened the market.

Despite these challenging times, if you ask an Asia-based wine lover which city comes to mind for enjoying and buying fine wines, the most likely answer will be Hong Kong. Although tourism has halted since the pandemic, China continues to flex its muscles via online wine auctions and website orders, and there’s a growing demand for Burgundy wines. The sheer range and availability of fine wines from around the world in Hong Kong are staggering – at wine shops, supermarkets, and on restaurant wine lists.

So here are my top 10 places for fine wine lovers to visit in Hong Kong.

1. L’ATELIER DE JOEL ROBUCHON

Largest wine list in Hong Kong