Hong Kong: The Asian Hub for Wines

While gathering info about Bodega Sottano's 2005 Malbec, I came upon some striking pieces of news about Hong Kong and its wine market:

Hong Kong is steadily emerging as a wine-trading hub for Asia, where consumption of the beverage is expected to grow by 10 per cent to 20 per cent a year for the foreseeable future. Hong Kong alone saw wine imports soar by 40 percent in the first nine months of 2009, due largely to the scrapping of wine duties. Results from wine auctions held in Hong Kong this year are also encouraging. Industry players are predicting that Hong Kong may well become the world’s second-largest wine auction centre, surpassing London and trailing only New York.