Japanese Wines Export Outgrew Other Alcohols Export to Hong Kong Scored a record-high 5-fold Rise

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach^[1] - 6 August 2021 - The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center^[2] (JFOODO) was set up by Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to promote the brands of Japanese agricultural, fishery and food products. JFOODO has been devoted to achieving popularity of Japanese wines in Hong Kong with multiple campaigns over the past three years, lining up restaurateurs and consumers to have a better understanding of Japanese wines.

(From Left) Mr. Reeze Choi, JFOODO Japanese Wine Ambassador, Ms. Mari Takada, Deputy Consul General & Head of Economic section of Consulate-General of Japan at Hong Kong, Mr. Eric Ting, CEO of Bird Kingdom Group Ltd. and Mr. Micky Chan, JFOODO Japanese Wine Ambassador

Indeed, the boundless possibilities of Japanese wines should be enjoyed by many more consumers. In this case, JFOODO joins hands with famed restaurants for a two-phase "JFOODO Japanese Wine Pairing Campaign 2021" in August and October. Highlighted a wide variety of Japanese wines, 60 well-known restaurants are to be invited to design their own specialty dishes, from Cantonese, Japanese and Spanish cuisine to name a few, for wine pairing. Two influential wine experts, Micky Chan and Reeze Choi, are to be the ambassadors for JFOODO Japanese wines, who offer wines pairing consulting services and wine knowledge training for cuisine teams of the listed restaurants.

To beckon media and restaurateurs in the F&B sector for the event, JFOODO held a brief press launch at Greater China Club yesterday, one of the participant restaurants. Mr. Isamu Nakayama, JFOODO Chief Operating Officer, as well as two JFOODO Ambassadors of Japanese Wines presented the new trend and demand of Hong Kong market and tips for wines and food pairing respectively. Participants of this event relished four newly tailor-made dishes paired with Japanese wines by Greater China Club.

"JFOODO Japanese Wine Pairing Campaign 2021" Collaborated with Renowned Eateries

New Profile on Japanese Wines Paired with Signature Cuisine

As an achiever obtaining consecutive two-year success, "JFOODO Japanese Wine Promotion 2021" comes for the third year's applause. The three-month two-phase campaign starts from 6 August (today!) to 31 October 2021, consisting of "JFOODO Japanese Wine Pairing Campaign 2021– Summer" in August and "JFOODO Japanese Wine Pairing Campaign 2021– Autumn" in October. The participant restaurants are free to join the summer or autumn promotion. They will partner with two appointed Japanese Wine Ambassadors by JFOODO to do the mix and match for wines and food, exploring another savory dimension of Cantonese, Japanese or fusion dishes with Japanese grape varietals.

20 restaurants are taking part in the "JFOODO Japanese Wine Pairing Campaign 2021– Summer" in August from now on. The participant list is deemed to be glamorous. Among Japanese owners' restaurants, BON Japanese Yakitori Bar, Inaniwa Yosuke (TST & Whampoa Shop), JunG39 JAPAN, KAGURA, Shunsenkaihou (HK Shop), Kichi, KIDO, Nishiki, ODDS, Ramen Cubism, SARA, Sushi Hakucho, Japanese Restaurant Take No Sato, UMAI and Zi Nen Ya Japanese Restaurant are on the list. Among fine-dining places, MIÁN, the high-end Cantonese cuisine in Central; Neighborhood, ranked 17^th in Asian Top 50 Restaurants in 2021; Rustico, the Spanish restaurant led by Michelin- starred chef; as well as the esteemed Cantonese gourmet establishment Greater China Club are on the list.

Wine-savvy Experts as JFOODO Ambassadors for Japanese Wines

Advice on Wines Pairing and Wine Knowledge for Cuisine Teams

Two market-savvy influencers in Hong Kong wine sector, Micky Chan and Reeze Choi, are appointed to be the Ambassadors for "JFOODO Japanese Wine Promotion 2021". Based on the climate and topography of vineyards, grape varieties and winemaker's craft, the ambassadors would give advice on Japanese wines pairing with food offered by the participant-listed restaurants. They would take time to educate sommeliers and cuisine teams on the list to further understand the characteristics and charm of Japanese wines.

"Last year promotion campaign was an eye-opener for Hong Kong people. This year I'm honored to be one of the Ambassadors for JFOODO again. We would like to enhance the branding and sales strategies for Japanese wines while we connect restaurants and wine sellers as well as line up Japanese wines producers for Hong Kong consumers. Besides, we offer consulting services to support F&B frontliners to advance the overall Japanese wines sales. I hope you'll be part of our JFOODO promotion campaign and make Japanese wines popular in Hong Kong." said Reeze Choi, the Ambassador of Japanese Wine by JFOODO.

"I'm delighted to be the ambassador again to present Japanese wines during the promotions. Wine-drinking is embedded in Hong Kong daily life. As Hong Kong people are so fond of Japanese cuisine, wines made in Japan must also whet their appetite! Indeed, there is a whole world of wines to choose from, but the Japanese kind is emerging and hard to forget. Over the past two years, JFOODO strived to bring the wines to the spotlight and accessible to people. Now it's time to further impress people by bringing exquisite wines pairing experience on the table. Feasts of grandeur are going to be held in collaboration with fine restaurants and renowned wine importers. So hone in on the Japanese varieties and tap into new possibilities!" said Micky Chan, the Ambassador of Japanese Wine by JFOODO.

Japanese Wines Export Outgrew Other Alcohols

Export to Hong Kong Scored a Record-high Double Rise in year of 2020

Hong Kong is one of the vital markets ever since Japanese wines started to export. The growth rate recorded 230% growth in 2020 compared to the previous year. While the global export value of Japanese wines exceeded 429 million yen in total, Hong Kong took up around 125 million JPY[1], representing one third of the total value, thus, the demand for Japanese wines in Hong Kong is still strong. However, among Hong Kong wine market, Japanese wines contributes only 0.17%[2] market share only. JFOODO is determined to raise the total market share of Japanese wines by boosting overall promotion efforts.

For more details of promotion campaign, please visit:

Official website for Japanese Wines：https://wine-jfoodo.jetro.go.jp/hk^[3]

Official Facebook：https://www.facebook.com/japanwine^[4]

Photo Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11sybbjy8E0zADRAm4TSuZgruNm69HmLu?usp=sharing^[5]

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center (www.jetro.go.jp)
3. ^{^} https://wine-jfoodo.jetro.go.jp/hk (wine-jfoodo.jetro.go.jp)
4. ^{^} https://www.facebook.com/japanwine (www.facebook.com)
5. ^{^} https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11sybbjy8E0zADRAm4TSuZgruNm69HmLu?usp=sharing (drive.google.com)