Summer wines from Marks & Spencer
British retailer’s in-house blenders ensure its wines satisfy changing tastes, such as those for lighter, fruitier and less oaky summer sips
Of Marks & Spencer’s 26 stores in Hong Kong, 24 of them stock wine. Trading manager Garry Brooking says M&S accounts for 5.7 per cent of the British wine market, with 10 per cent of that coming from champagne. M&S employs three in-house winemakers, who are responsible for assessing and blending wines for the company.
Hong Kong-based master of wine Debra Meiburg has determined that the “Hong Kong palate is more anglophile, and people do not want overwhelming styles of wine”. Brooking says, “The local M&S customer is younger than their UK counterpart and follows global trends.”
It is therefore of little surprise to discover Hong Kong and British wine trends are increasingly similar. Wines from France, Italy and Australia are the top choices. The Hong Kong alcohol market is diverse, with sales being taken up by wines, spirits and beers. Red wines dominate and account for about 45 per cent of the market, with whites comprising 25 per cent. In terms of wine style, M&S is following consumer trends and “dialling up the fruit” while “dialling back overt oaky flavours”, says Brooking.
Here are a few top summer wines.