Good wine in Hong Kong was hard to find in my early days there, but it has become a major hub. Now I live in the Wine Garden of England
- The wine selection on offer in Hong Kong shops was limited in the 1990s, but the industry flourished after duty was removed on the product in 2008
- I now find myself living in the heart of England’s burgeoning wine country, in Kent, where every village, it seems, has its own label
A glass of wine is, for me, one of life’s great pleasures. But when I first arrived in Hong Kong, in the 1990s, the selection on offer in local shops was limited.
My local supermarket in Mui Wo stocked a few bottles of varying quality. Thankfully, a friend in the wine trade began delivering cases of delicious South African pinotage to my house on a handcart. Those were the days! He now sells an impressive range of very fine wines.
Hong Kong paved the way for its development as a wine hub by removing duty on the product in 2008. The industry flourished and 35 million litres of wine was imported in 2022. Tastings and fairs quickly became popular.
It was, therefore, an unexpected but welcome surprise, on returning to Britain that year, to find myself living in the heart of England’s burgeoning wine country. Every village, it seems, has its own label.
Chapel Down, England’s biggest producer, is a short drive away. My son picked grapes there in the autumn. Biddenden, the first commercial vineyard in Kent, is just down the road. Balfour and Gusbourne are nearby. Some of these wines are available in Hong Kong.
England’s sparkling wines have often beaten better known champagnes in blind tastings. There are now more than 800 English vineyards. The total land under vine increased by 74 per cent in the five years to 2023.
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Climate change is bad news for the world, but it has helped English wine producers. Temperatures during the growing season are now consistently warm enough. The perfect weather for sparkling wine is shifting north, from France to the south of England.
French champagne houses are beginning to join the party. Taittinger bought around 70 hectares of land near Canterbury in 2015. Its first English wine is due this year.
Kent used to be known as the Garden of England, but its claim to the name is fading. The orchards it was once renowned for are being uprooted to make way for development – and vineyards. It is not easy to make money growing fruit these days, thanks to rising costs, labour shortages and the low prices paid by big supermarkets.
Now, the county is becoming known as the Wine Garden of England, with more and more vineyards offering tastings and tours, many with restaurants.
Sipping a glass of local wine, with fish from the nearby coast, reminds me of holidays in France. It is a joy. But I still recall those early days in Hong Kong, when a decent drop was hard to find – but well worth the effort.
