Harvest time

Wine and spirits from far-flung corners of the globe helped to make this year's Vinexpo in Hong Kong a truly international extravaganza. Rebecca Lo samples a few of the 90,000 glasses poured.

Size does matter. The Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2014 held from May 27 to 29 took place over roughly 15,000 square meters in the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, an expansion of 50 percent from Vinexpo 2012. Roughly 16,800 attendees, including importers, distributors and purchasers, gathered in Hong Kong to swirl and sip, an increase of 6.4 percent. A total of 13,000 exhibitors from 34 countries, including Mexico, Greece, South Africa and Chile, vied for attention with lavish booths, unusual products and gifts of the gab.

Chairman of Vinexpo Xavier de Eizaguirre welcomed guests at the opening ceremony on the morning of May 27 alongside the new CEO of Vinexpo Guillaume Deglise. They were joined onstage by special guests - French consul general for Hong Kong and Macao Arnaud Barthelemy, Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and economic development Gregory So and Chinese actress Zhao Wei - who gave their takes on the wine industry and its impact on greater China.