WINE FOR ASIA 2007 @ SINGAPORE EXPO
Hall 3
1 Expo Drive
Singapore
25 – 27 October 2007

“I am woman, hear me pour”
- Women Divas are running wine companies, heading up sales & marketing divisions and owning wine retail shops in Singapore.

WINE FOR ASIA 2007 @ SINGAPORE EXPO

Wine for Asia 2007 Exhibition occupies an area of 8,000 sqm and receives more than 4,000 trade professionals from 21 countries, 14 country pavilions including 5 new ones showcasing 58,000 bottles of wine from a wide range of countries including Vietnam, Moldova, Serbija Montenegro and Venezuela.

Wine imports into Singapore have seen straight growths for the past five years, rising by 45% from 8.6 million litres in 2002 to 12.7 million litres in 2006, clearly reflecting the rising wine drinking trend. This trend is also reflective of the growing wine-drinking habit in Asia.

These statistics from International Enterprise (IE) Singapore were released by the joint organisers of Wine for Asia 2007, Singex Exhibitions and Wine Resources ahead of the wine show – the most comprehensive international wine exhibition in Asia – being held at the Singapore Expo from 25 - 27 October.

Australia leads the pack with imports of 4.7 million litres into Singapore, followed by France with 3.5 million litres and Chile with 1 million litres. Fourth on the list of imports is the United States with 863,075 litres and Italy with 799,937 litres.

Leading the growth in terms of import value is New Zealand, registering an increase of 274%, followed by Chile with 125% and Australia with 95%.

However, in terms of price per litre, France is still top and has even managed to pull further ahead with a stunning S$25 per litre in 2006 compared with S$20 per litre in 2005.

Wine for Asia 2007, the fifth edition of the show, is an ideal ground for wine sellers to meet buyers from Asia and to expand into the region. There will be visiting buyer delegations from Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Vietnam and China attending the show.

The 14 country pavilions which include Brazil, France, Hungary, Greece and Portugal are taking part for the first time. The others are Argentina, Australia, Chile, Germany, Portugal, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain. Australia has the largest pavilion with 30 exhibitors representing about 70 wineries. Also, large local importers are taking up bigger space at WFA to get a share of the fast-growing wine market.

About 58,000 wine bottles will be showcased at WFA 2007. Apart from wines from well-known Old World and New World wine producing countries, there will be wines from lesser known wine supplying countries – among them Vietnam, Moldova, Serbija Montenegro and Venezuela.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to taste winning wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2007 and the Wine for Asia’s very own Wine Style Asia Award 2007.

For further information, please visit www.wineforasia.com

Speech by Guest-of-Honour, Ms. Jessica Tan, MP, East Coast GRC, and Vice-Chair for the Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance and Trade and Industry.

Picture Caption ‘A Touch of Gold’ @ Opening Ceremony (starting from left back row): HE Tamas Magda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Hungary; HE Folkmar Stoecker, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Germany; Ms Jessica Tan, MP, East Coast GRC, and Vice-Chair for the Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance and Trade and Industry; HE Miles Kupa, High Commissioner, Australia; Dr Silviu Ionescu, Minister Plenipotentiary, Charge d’Affairs & Head of Mission, Romania; HE Dr Richard Sturge Grant, High Commissioner, New Zealand; Andreas Goros, Honorary Consul, Greece.

Audio clip recorded by Ai San Yip. Photo Courtesy of Wine for Asia 2007. All Rights reserved.