Macau Wine and Dine Festival kicks off as sector grows

The third edition of the Macau Wine and Dine Festival kicked off yesterday at The Venetian Macao’s outdoor lagoon area. The festival sees an increased number of exhibitors as the Chinese community’s interest and appreciation of wine grows, said Filipe Cunha Santos, president of the Wine Society of Macau, who is hosting the event.
Until Sunday, 38 booths placed along the Venetian’s outdoor lagoon area showcase what local and foreign companies have to offer. Wines from Portugal, France, Italy and the United States are available, paired with international delicacies.
“We have been holding the event for three years now, and obviously it has grown over that time, not only in the number of attendees but also regarding the number of booths. This year, for instance, we have several exhibitors from Hong Kong, apart from our own local exhibitors,” said Mr Santos.
Mr Santos added that the festival’s concept focuses on a “business to consumer” principle, rather than a “business to business” principle.
He recalled that the Chinese community used to prefer spirits or liquors, but the trend has shifted: “They are more interested in wines, and [are] even producing their own wine in China. There’s a trend. And they will keep appreciating wine.”
Hong Kong company Cottage Vineyards is one of the exhibitors. Their sales & marketing director Ada Leung told The Times that Chinese nationals are indeed “starting to learn more about wine […] there’s a growing interest, especially with events like these happening. This is the trend. People will be drinking and appreciating wine together [with gastronomy].”
Cottage Vineyards has participated in the event since its first year and has been doing business in Macau since 2008. “We saw an opportunity here, it’s a growing market and there were a lot of changes occurring, so we wanted to be part of it,” she stressed.
Ms Leung revealed that throughout the five-day festival, her company will also be organizing seminars, and has invited an Austrian wine producer to share her experience with biodynamic wines, which are produced using organic farming methods. Christian Saahs, Austrian winemaker and owner of the first biodynamic wine estate in Europe, has been invited to a wine dinner to be held on Saturday at Dynasty 8. She will also be giving a Biodynamic Wine Masterclass on Saturday between 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Conrad Macao.
A representative of VinoMac, another exhibitor at the event, said that a growing number of consumers from Japan and China are interested in their wines, which come mainly from Portugal, but also from Spain, Argentina and Chile.
Eurovinhos’ booth, which sells mainly wines from Portugal’s Alentejo region, has seen an increase in the number of attendees joining the event over the past years as well, a member of the company noted.
The Wine and Dine Festival, sponsored by The Venetian Macao, is the largest local wine event. It is supported by the Macau Financial Services Bureau, as well as the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), among other organizations.
Mr Santos, the Wine Society of Macau’s president, recalled that behind the government’s support of the festival lies an effort to, “diversify Macau’s tourism [offerings].”
The senior vice president & director of Venetian & Plaza Operations, Sands China, Ciaran Carruthers, also stressed that, “sponsoring the Wine and Dine Festival is one of the ways we help bring a variety of leisure choices to Macau for both locals and visitors. It’s also an important part of our multi-tiered entertainment strategy, which helps diversify Macau’s tourism offerings and strengthens Macau’s position as a world center for tourism and leisure.”
Last year, the festival reached its expected attendance of 20,000 admissions.
For its third edition, the Wine Society of Macau hopes to see a 15 percent increase in the number of attendees as the event features more booths, delicacies and family-oriented elements.