The second Australian Wine and Food festival, with over 150 kinds of wine and dishes of Australia, will open in late May in the New World Saigon Hotel.

“We want to prove that Vietnam is a country where tea, beer and whiskey are popular. This event is a chance to popularize Australia to South East Asia”, said Jim Cawood, chief executive officer of Vino Vietnam, the Australian wine importer and distributor and the host of the event.

The festival will have the participation of numerous restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.

Australian well-known chef, Paul McMahon, from Catalina Restaurant Rose Bay in Sydney will make a perfect menu for lunch and dinner for the whole week, in which Australian food matches the correct wine.

In addition to the two day festival, held by the Australian General Consul and co-sponsored by ANZ, Jetstar, New World Hotel Saigon, RED and the World Magazine, the first Australian Wine Competition will be on May 28th, aiming to name the best Australian wine on the market.

The winning wine will be served at the Gala Evening scheduled for the following day.

[Article Source] — HNM

Translated by Mai Huong

Southeast Asia is home to many consumers with rising levels of income. When income rises and a given society modernizes or evolves so do its tastes and preferences.

This is currently going on in the greater Asia region as we speak. Add the extra element of a ever more interconnected global economy and the pace of change is truly incredible.

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have a combined population of roughly 180 million people. These countries represent a diverse mix of different elasticities, levels of development and traditions.

Malaysia — For instance the majority of Malaysians are Muslims who in accordance with their religious practices do not drink any alcohol. However even in this context a great potential wine market exists.

For starters Malaysia is home to about 28 million people, of which 2/3 are Muslim and therefore do not drink alcohol. The remaining 1/3 still presents a sizable market of about 8-9 million people, greater than the combined markets of Singapore and Hong Kong, two already very developed wine markets.

Second, ethnic Chinese in Malaysia are unarguably one of the wealthier segments of Malay society and are also coincidentally the largest consumers of wine in Malaysia. As members of the upper-echelons of society they unknowingly serve as status symbols for people to emulate as they aspire to move up the social latter.

This great article I have just stumbled upon at the China Wines Information Website, shares some good statistics.

Singapore – Wine market breaks down as follows: 10% sparking wine, 65% red wine, 25% white.

Thailand – According to the New Zealand government which published these statistics, consumers in Thailand lack detailed knowledge about wines and have a unfounded, preconceived notion that the only “real” wine is red wine. At the moment wine makes up about 20% of the alcohol consumed in Thailand every year. About 83% of the wine consumed in red. A major challenge for those trying to break into the Thai market will be educating the consumer about white wines, which in many instances would accompany Thai foods better than red wines.

Vietnam – Most Vietnamese do not drink grape wines because they have yet to acquire a taste for it. Wine is a relatively new product to the average Vietnamese person. Therefore most wine demand within Vietnam comes from expatriates, tourists and a few Vietnamese of the upper classes who have acquired a taste for it.

The importance of using Singapore as a hub for serving all these wine markets is highlighted in this article from New Zealand.

“It is important for New Zealand wine exporters to consider leveraging on Singapore’s position as a regional distribution hub for wines by developing partnerships with distributors who have strong regional distribution networks.“