1,500+ attend Great Wines of the Andes Asia Tour 2019

Was it the double-magnum of 1999 Clos Apalta from James Suckling Wine Central wine bar (it was one of the first bottles to empty on the night)?

Was it international superstar DJ Surahn who once again filled the Four Seasons Hong Kong and Peninsula Beijing hotel ballrooms with epic tunes?

Or was it simply providing more than 1,500 people who attended (not to mention the nearly 60 producers who took part), access to some of our favourite wines of the year so far?

The event, held in Hong Kong and Beijing this year, has become a beacon for wine lovers and trade in Asia, many of whom were returning for their second or third event to keep on top of how winemaking is evolving in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. There was double the amount of attendees this year, a reflection of the increasing popularity of Andean wines. 

WATCH: Hear what producers had to say during the event: Click Here

“We spend a lot of time in South America and there are so many exciting wines there,” says CEO and editor James Suckling. “Although you can read about it and see our ratings online, this event Great Wines of the Andes gives guests the opportunity in Asia – and the US later this year – to taste the wines we rated and make their own opinions about the wines. That’s why these events are so popular.”

And Jack Suckling, contributing editor at JamesSuckling.com, added, “Chile has upped their game recently, but also they’ve been experimenting all over the country, and on the other side of the Andes you’ve got Argentina who are playing with these high altitude vineyards and trying to dial back the wines and not make them overly extracted. Now is a really great time for South American wines, so I think it’s really great to be presenting them to this audience in Asia.”

James and his team of tasters rated around 3,000 wines from the Andes this year, witnessing firsthand how Andean winemakers are fine-tuning their skills to push traditions. From malbec and cabernet to pinot noir and chardonnays – all the hand-picked wines poured at the events had been awarded scores of 90+ points. They even included a selection of perfect scoring 100-pointers.

And for producers eager to tap into Asia, and China in particular, the event offers exposure that’s hard to beat. “Our China distributors told us we have to be here, because it offers the best access to the important markets,” one producer said.

The events also showed off the work of Holland America, Sea Shepherd, Coravin and Eco Drive, organizations supported by JamesSuckling.com. 

Great Wines of the Andes USA will be coming up soon, and we will be hitting Asia again next year, so if you missed out this time be sure to watch this space (date TBC, but around May/June 2020).

The galleries below show the highlights of the Hong Kong and Beijing Welcome Dinners and Grand Tastings.

Read our tasting reports on Andean wines:

Chile’s Tale of Two Cities

Argentina’s ‘Extreme Wines’ Lead the way in this year’s tasting

Top 100 Andean Wines of 2018

Scroll through the galleries below to relive the top moments from Great Wines of the Andes Asia 2019