My Article: Bordeaux Mecca in Hong Kong

I just got back from a visit to an amazing wine shop in Hong Kong that is 95 percent dedicated to Bordeaux: Bordeaux Etc.

The brainchild of Paulo Pong, the owner of HK wine merchant Altaya and the occasional blogger on this website, Bordeaux Etc includes 900 different labels of reds and whites from France’s premier wine region – from 1870 Lafite-Rothschild to 2008 Chasse-Spleen. It’s a unique store that any lover of Bordeaux would enjoy visiting.

The 3,000-square-foot space is modern, minimalist, and chic with all the bottles beautifully displayed. A tasting room is located in the basement. The store includes interactive touch screens as well as iPads with loads of information on Bordeaux. Videos (some from www.jamessucking.com) are forthcoming. In addition, a full-time French sommelier, who formally worked at the Paris three-star restaurant Taillevent, is also available for consultation.

“I want people to come here and spend time getting to know Bordeaux better,” said Pong, who also just opened a Champagne Etc, which is dedicated to Champagne. “There’s so much to learn about Bordeaux, and Hong Kong still has a palate for Bordeaux despite some of the recent press reports…Etc stands for Endear, Tease and Cultivate, and that’s what we are doing with Bordeaux.”

The store is an example of how Bordeaux is still THE category for wine consumers in Hong Kong. I spoke to the head of marketing of Watson’s – the biggest wine retailer in Hong Kong with almost two dozen outlets – and he said Bordeaux outsells everything almost two to one.

“People drink more Bordeaux than anything else in Hong Kong,” said Pong, who runs a handful of restaurants and now wine shops on the island, as well as is a wine importer. “So it can’t be dead like some people say. This shop proves it.”

Bordeaux Etc.
Leighton Centre
77 Leighton Road,
Causeway Bay.
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2567 2009