Wines News & People
The Italian Wine Merchant roots itself in Hong Kong. Photo by Josh Tse in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong, home to a host of wine auctioneers and merchants. and already the recognized fine wine centre in Asia, saw Italian wine speciality, Italian Wine Merchant www.iwm.com.hk setting up shop in Hong Kong in June 2009. Based out of New York, the firm was founded in 1999 by Sergio Esposito, an Italian who migrated to the States in the 1970s. Catering exclusively to private clients in New York, the firm is staffed by 53 professionals, and oversees some 33 wine brands amongst its entire portfolio. It hopes to replicate its business model, while expanding its business and activities to the financial and logistics city state.
Sergio Esposito (as pictured in the article) spends three months of the year in Italy, where he meets with producers, tastes new vintages, and brokers the sale of wines. He travels around the United States monthly, giving lectures and presenting tastings. Esposito is also the author of Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy. The colorful narrative, takes the reader on an illuminating exploration of Esposito’s native land and its remarkable vintners.
As its founder, Sergio explained, the Italian Wine Merchant has multiple brands and will be targeting at the on trade businesses in Hong Kong, mainly hotels, fine dining restaurants, including wine sommeliers. “We deal with different products, and our customers are the people (sommeliers) who pops the cork. These are the group of people who finances our operations. It is exactly these group of people we have to reach out to.”
On food and wine pairing with Italian wines, given the Hong Kong city dwellers taste for French wines first, Sergio felt Italian wines are a timely match with Cantonese food, “Cantonese food is about depth. It’s about matching the acidity in Italian wines, with spicy taste. Hong Kong has a very serious food culture, and this makes it attractive for us and our wines.”
On Hong Kong’s role in wine consumption today. Sergio was very positive and passionate, as he explains,”wines can help to bind people together. It can keep you at the table, both at longer time, or shorter. It can also keep you happy. Hong Kong has a very serious wine culture. Imagine, we have so much market share to gain. We estimate the market share for Italian wines to be 10%, and we hope to achieve US$15 Million in sales into the year ahead. We are in Asia for the long term, over the next few decades, just like we were in the United States over the past 20, 25 years.”
Wineries presented and marketed by the Italian Wine Merchant include;
Altesino, Antinori, Biondi-Santi Il Greppo, Baricci, Caparzo, Giacomo Conterno, Castello dei Rampolla, Domenico Clerico, Cerbaiona, Conterno Fantino, Ciacci Piccololini d’Aragona, Ceretto, Poderi Aldo Conterno, Col Vetoraz, Donatella Cinelli Colombini, Dal Forno Romano, Tenuta Fontodi, Bruno Giacosa, Galardi, Grattamacco, Josko Gravner, Gaja, Il Poggione, Il Palazzone, Tenuta La Fuga, La Spinetta, Lisini, Le Macchiole, Bartolo Mascarello, Giuseppe Mascarello, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi CastelGiocondo, Marchesi di Gresy, Movia, Miani, Montevertine, Poderina, Petrolo, Pieve Santa Restituta, Poggio di Sotto, Giuseppe Quintarelli, Querciabella, Giuseppe Rinaldi, Case Basse di Soldera, Paolo Scavino, Luciano Sandrone, Tua Rita, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Tenuta San Guido, Edoardo Valentini, Villa Managiacane, Roberto Voerzio, and Vietti.
With its new office in New World Tower in Central, Hong Kong, the Italian Wine Merchant will be overseen by Josh Rubenstein, and Christina Keung. The firm can be reached at +852 9029 9312, or email hk@italianwinemerchant.com.
The above article was first published much earlier in 2009, reproduced here online for the benefit of our Hong Kong readers and wine buyers.