A new five-year partnership between the Bordeaux Wine Council and Hong Kong Tourism Board strengthens ties with Bordeaux’s third-largest export market, with wine and food tourism driving deeper commercial and cultural links. Nimmi Malhotra reports.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to expand the collaboration on wine and food tourism, with the Hong Kong Wine and Dine festival at its centre.
The MoU covers five areas, including co-organisation of the annual Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, mutual support for wine and food promotional initiatives, joint consumer programmes in select markets, sharing intelligence on wine and food tourism trends, and closer industry exchanges between the two cities.
Hong Kong punches well above its weight in Bordeaux exports
The ties between the two cities stretch back nearly two decades. Hong Kong abolished wine tariffs in 2008, and the same year, it was a guest city at the Bordeaux wine festival.
“HKTB asked us to help them organise a wine and dine festival. We are sharing the know-how,” said Christophe Chateau, communications director at CIVB. A formal co-operation on the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival has continued since 2009, and the commercial success has followed. “The market has increased a lot, to become the first market for Bordeaux exports in 2015,” he added.
Today, Hong Kong ranks third globally in value, behind only the USA and the UK and ahead of every market in Asia, including China and Japan.
The latest CIVB data tells more: In the year to March 2026, Bordeaux shipped 36,160 hectolitres of wine to Hong Kong, down a modest 4% in volume, but rising 4% in value to €164.74 million (£142.5 million).
The average price per 75cl bottle stands at €34.17 (£29.53), the highest of any major Bordeaux export market in the world. For context, this is nearly three times the average bottle price paid by buyers in the US, underscoring Hong Kong’s status as an ultra-premium Bordeaux market.
2026 festival plans
In 2026, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival will be the first major activation under the renewed MoU.
The festival started in 2003 and has become a permanent feature on the Hong Kong gastronomical calendar. Eagerly anticipated by the region, it takes place over four days at the Central Harbourfront events space, against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour.
The 2025 edition brought together more than 300 booths, with 70% dedicated to wines and 30% showcasing gourmet cuisine, and attracted 163,000 visitors from over 30 countries, representing a 5% increase on 2024 numbers. The 2026 edition is planned for 29 October to 1 November 2026, over Halloween.
Chateau hopes the 2026 participation will outdo 2025 and profit from an extra hour of business. “We hope it will be better (than 2025), because it will happen during Halloween weekend and closing hours will be 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday,” he said.
A minimum of 50 Bordeaux winemakers and négociants are expected to attend, alongside a gala dinner and masterclass in partnership with classified growths. Full programme details will be revealed closer to time.
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