Port wines displayed during a workshop held in Macau
Luís de Herédia, director of Macau-based Vinomac Fine Wines, a six-year-old distributor in the territory offering a portfolio of wines from countries such as Portugal, France and Australia, says that wine is an ideal product for exchange on the China-Lusophone platform, which some hope that Macau can become.
Macau has for some time held a reputation for being the go-to-place for Portuguese wine in Asia, drawing on the expertise of its local Portuguese community and a history of involvement with both the Lusophonic world and the sea routes linking the West with the East.
Today is no exception, Herédia told the Times in an interview this week. He said that visitors from parts of Asia such as Hong Kong and Japan keenly recognize this, and stock up on Portuguese wines when passing through the city.
However, there is still more work to be done because, outside of these key markets, Portuguese wine is still overshadowed by its French, and to some extent Australian, rivals.
“There was a time when [wine] distributors were the only ones to recognize the quality of Portuguese wines. Now, [with the involvement of the public] things are starting to change,” said Herédia. “But there is still work to do; much more promotion is needed because this can b
ecome a great product for Macau to offer.”
Herédia told the Times that wine is both a cultural product as well as a food and beverage one. As such, it could be an ideal product to be floated on Beijing’s envisioned “One Center, One Platform” initiative, connecting Portuguese goods with the enormous Chinese market.
“Of course, there is an appreciation of the flavor [of wine] and so on, but the wine culture is equally important. It reveals things… about rules, religion, geography, history, climate, culture… there are many, many curious things in each bottle,” he said.
“I believe it is an ideal product for that [China-Lusophonic] market,” he continued. “Portuguese wine in Asia is linked to Macau’s identity […] wine has been in Macau for many, many years… it’s not something new.”
According to Herédia, Macau stands as one of the highest per-capita wine consumption levels in the Asia-Pacific region – far outstripping Hong Kong and China – which he believes is due to its historical connection with the beverage.
The local director also believes that the government is taking positive and genuine steps to both promoting and supporting the work of local distributors of Portuguese wine.
“The local government has been a great supporter of Portuguese wine. Some of these people [in the government] know Macau very well and are supportive of the Portuguese culture here – I must say, I am very impressed with this,” he said.
“It’s not just a political issue; I think that they really appreciate [Portuguese wine]. I mean, they use it regularly at their [government] functions,” added Herédia.
Imports of Portuguese wine to Macau during the first six months of 2016 fell by around 14 percent year-on-year, amounting to MOP28.3 million. Nevertheless, the European country ranks as the third largest supplier of wine to the territory.
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