How a daring fine wine endeavour matured

Mandy Chan was born and raised in Canada but has strong ties to Hong Kong, where her parents live. When the financial crisis struck in 2008, she and her husband, Jason Ginsberg, saw a chance to become wine merchants in Hong Kong. The result was Ginsberg+Chan Wine Merchants Asia, which showcases a wide catalogue of rare and fine bottles, from prominent to more obscure wineries.

A friend had often tried to persuade the couple to join his wine business. Chan, a homemaker and former IBM software engineer, casually suggested that she would sell his bottles in Hong Kong, prompting her to take various wine courses. That collaboration didn't work out, but the process inspired the couple to start their own company, as purveyors of what they hoped would be irresistible rarities. They even sold their house in Toronto to buy their stock.

The company was launched in Happy Valley in 2009 with a warehouse in Tsing Yi housing about 10,000 bottles.

Did you drink wine from an early age?

My [earlier] drinking life was typically Canadian. In my teenage years, I drank mostly peach schnapps and coolers. During my university days, however, I drank a lot of beer. It wasn't until after university that I started drinking wine, but none that I would call fine wines. I was never a heavy drinker, which is probably why I enjoy our business so much now, as I get to taste the most sought-after wines, with the emphasis on tasting.

There's often one transfixing bottle that turns someone into a serious wine lover. Which was it for you?