"Asian wines are a thing now!" President of the Sommelier Association of Singapore (SAS) Gerald Lu proudly declares. 

And if there was anyone who would surely know, it'd be Gerald. Aside from serving as the President of the SAS, Gerald also helms one of the city's most prominent wine bistros, Praelum. Since its establishment in 2011, Praelum has become so much more than a place for wine lovers to dine on good food and try a variety of wines - its second floor has become the de facto spiritual home for sommeliers and folks in the wine trade to learn about about the wines of the world. As such, it's also become the check-in point for wine makers and importers looking to make it in the Southeast Asian city. All that is to say, Gerald sees wine flowing from as many angles as possible, interacting with pretty much everyone in the trade, and of course just as many customers.

(From Left to Right) Reeze Choi, Annette Scarfe MW, Jenny Tan, June Lee and Gerald Lu.

On this final day of VinExpo Asia 2025 held in Singapore, I'm seated eagerly anticipating a great panel discussion on the topic of "The Rise of Asian Wines". It's a topic that's surely on everyone's mind - at least in Asia, with a rising interest in what's going on in our very own backyard. And so it seemed most timely for a check in and discussion between the proverbial Yellow Pages of the Singapore wine trade (that's Gerald), along with long time wine writer June Lee (who's written for numerous notable publications, not the least of which was her being Wine Editor for epicure magazine; currently an independent writer and consultant under her own JuneDrinks), well-known Hong Kong sommelier-turned-winemaker Reeze Choi, as well as Annette Scarfe MW, who's long led the International Wine Challenge and Decanter World Wine Awards as a judge. Moderating the discussion was Jenny Tan, the director of FoodCult, a prominent PR firm based in Singapore.

Asia has not traditionally produced wines in the way the wine world at large might understand - fruit wines are common (think lychees, longans and even more exotic fruits such as bayberries and mangosteens), yet grape wines not so much. Rice wines would in fact be far more common except they aren't fruit based. There are certainly traces of grape wine production (in Mandarin Chinese you'd even have to specify pu tao jiu which directly translates as grape wine so at to make sure you get the right sort of wine!), yet it would historically be on par with any other fruit that might be found available locally; that is to say that there hasn't been an overt preference for grape wines above others. Chalk it up to the harsher climate (icy tundras all the way to the tropical heat, along with often higher rainfall) which isn't quite the ideal growing conditions, as well as just simply societal preferences - grapes are abundantly enjoyed in Asia as a snack, but not so much when it comes to making wines. Yet as the world has become increasingly globalised, Western products have found success in the East and vice versa. It's not at all surprising then that you'd find aspiring wine growers in Asia and wasabi farmers in America. In hindsight, it seems like it was just a matter of time.

Grace Wine, a leading light of Yamanashi, Japan, producing Koshu wines.

The Proof Is In The Pudding: Asian Wines Have Landed

According to Gerald, wines produced in Asia have seen a staggering increase in export numbers and are showing up in ever more wine lists around the world (and especially in Asia itself). Citing both push and pull factors such as consumers becoming more exploratory and adventurous, as well as wineries having found their mojo where it comes to marketing their history and heritage (which is huge street cred for sommeliers who are always looking to tell a good story), with their very wineries being just a matter of a few hours flight away, allowing for both fans and sommeliers alike to visit them first hand and be inducted to the gospel. Now the stats don't lie, the Sommelier Association of Singapore (SAS)'s survey showed that 28% of respondents had indicated that they wanted to see more Asian wines, with Asian wines represented in 8% of wine lists surveyed, whilst 3x the number of trade members have begun showcasing Asian wines as part of their portfolio. That might not initially seem like much, yet Gerald shares that this is certainly a huge (and heartening) leap from where it was just several years prior.

Annette herself backs the claim further by sharing that just a decade ago, prestigious international wine awards like Decanter's would only receive just a handful of Japanese Koshu wines and Chinese Bordeaux-style blend - all in all only half a day's work of judging. These submissions saw a surge in the most recent iteration of the annual judging, with half a day of judging rising to six full days for the panel of judges ton process all the submissions from Asia. Annette shares that just Japan alone has seen 3 times the number of wineries taking part on such an international stage - and to great effect as they've done well to bag over 140 medals (with 1 even having taken home the top award of Trophy Wine). These days, it's no longer limited to the Yamanashi Prefecture (historically where wines were grown in Japan, and is also known as Japan's fruit kingdom) or Koshu wines for that matter, with styles like Riesling and Gewurztraminer now consistently being shown, and wines increasingly grown in regions like Nagano and Hokkaido.

As far as the panel is concerned, the zeitgeist is clear - Asian wines are starting to be serious contenders, a momentous achievement considering that the movement remains barely five decades old (pick any chateaux in France and you'd easily find a hundred years of history at the least).

Wineries in Ningxia have found success in burying vines in snow to insulate them against the harsh climate.

Attitudes Change Yet The Climate Does Not

Yet before the Asian story gets ahead of itself, the challenges it faces and must overcome remains very real.

For one, growing conditions remain as challenging as ever - heavy rainfall with intense heat and cold, prove to be a perennial difficulty that's hardly abated through the years. This is further compounded by a broad shortage of labour when it comes to vineyard work, which remains a niche area of industry in Asia. Reeze himself has recently ventured into making wines in Japan, witnessing the difficulties first-hand in winegrowing. Hiroshima was particularly chosen as his base with the aim of growing Pinotage (most common in South Africa), which he believes is more tolerant of humidity as compared to the international Pinot Noir. Nevertheless, having the rain come through in full force right smack in the middle of the growing season still has not made things any easier. Reeze thus points towards a broader trend of vineyards in Asia heading up to higher altitudes as a common measure.

At the same time, Annette and Gerald both concur that a new generation of winemakers in Asia have shown equally intense fighting spirit, applying their ingenuity to finding novel solutions to the region's conditions. Annette points to the use of practices such as burying vines in snow, which surprisingly can provide insulation to the vines in the cold tundras of Ningxia, China. She's also observed that in the past, most Asian winemakers would simply default to international varieties to little success (a winning grape from the West would be taken and copied in Asia - or copycat winemaking, to put it gently). Thus, much of the recent success achieved as of late is instead attributed to a more appropriate varietal selection. The Master of Wine goes further in saying that varietal selection is therefore all the more important in Asia, citing examples such as Yamanashi, Japan's use of Muscat Bailey A which is more resistant to rain, fungus and rot. Or take Nagano for example, Japan's high altitudes being perfect for Riesling and Gewurztraminer. India too has found an unexpected match with the Chenin Blanc of the Loire Valley, France, which thrives in the humid and damp conditions of India. For Annette, it's all about matching the right grape for the right region.

Hatten Wines from Bali have proven that innovation and creativity finds life in the most unlikely of places. Pictured is founder Pak Gus Rai holding a bunch of Bali's heritage Alphonse Lavallée.

Gerald then brings up the possibility of using unique cross varietals as a two-pronged approach to both dealing with the climate, as well as serving as a marketing value proposition. He goes on to spitball a barrage of names - Japan's Yamasachi (a cross of Kiyomi, a clonal selection of French hybrid Seibel 13053, and Yamabudo), Bali's Alphonse Lavallee (prominent in Sicily, it is a cross of Muscat Hamburg and Kharistvala Kolkhuri) and Taiwan's Musang Blanc (a cross between Black Queen and Golden Muscat) are just a few mentioned. Gerald cites the great work being done by highly innovative wineries such as Bali's Hatten Wines and Korea's Majuang as being the way forward for Asian wineries. For Gerald, the climate challenge is an opportunity for new latitude wineries to get creative. Without the immense burden of tradition and requirements as part of any geographic designation they need to uphold, Asian wineries can freely pursue the unique, and in particular call back to their locality by bringing back indigenous varietals that will pique the fickle interest of the wine community.

The panel starts to get into the other side of the bottle - taking a closer look at what's happening on the consumer side of the equation. As the former Wine Editor of epicure, June shares that years prior, she had seen firsthand the potential for Asian wines, having been especially impressed by Bali's Hatten Wines - and yet, the reality was that it was difficult for editorials and writers to truly lean in to recommend wines that were simply not well distributed then, and would simply be out of reach for most consumers. In a vicious cycle, this would then result in Asian wineries receiving less coverage, which certainly did not help in appealing to importers who would have to take the risk on a wine that consumers knew little about and were broadly hard to place. Thus even as wines from China, Japan and even India, had already been gaining steam, their path into the glasses of consumers was less than seamless. This all was only exacerbated when it came more specifically to Southeast Asian wines, whose origin countries were even less familiar than their larger Asian counterparts.

Japan's Chateau Lumiere showcasing its wines at a tasting held at notable wine members club 67 Pall Mall Singapore.

It's Not Just What's In The Bottle, It's Also About Being Seen

So what's changed? As mentioned, the panel broadly agreed that several leading Asian wineries (Gerald cites Lumiere and Mercian from Japan, as well as Grand Monte from Thailand) have certainly stepped up their game when it came to marketing themselves and bringing more visibility to their work. June describes the entire industry from winemaker to writers and sommeliers as being an ecosystem that has to all work in synchronicity - wineries must ensure access to writers who can convey the value of the work, whilst also supporting sommeliers to be pouring out the wines at their respective venues; and together each stakeholder is able to support the recognition of the winery and even its country of origin as a veritable producer of quality wines. 

June further digs in to point out that it all comes down to consumers simply desiring the best taste for the right occasion - which also means that Asian wineries wanting to win fans over need to have their wines be made readily available and of assured quality; on the flipside, this implies that consumers have far less loyalty to established wine regions as some might think! It's a more even playing field that folks realise! Reeze chimes in to add that there is even some bit of a home ground advantage when it comes to Asian wineries in Asia - the wines are closer to the local culture and so it is easier to find resonance when it comes to understanding the winemaking philosophy, all the way to food pairings.

Asian wines have come a long way!

Yet the reality is that there appears to still be some degree of hard-headedness when it comes to the way Asian wineries think about the path to success. While some have clearly found the winning formula, many still leave said low hanging grapes on the table. To that end, Annette adds that international wine competitions continue to systematically provide a platform for Asian wineries to show that they can compete on a global scale - and are really an opportunity for wineries to do something innovative and have the spotlight shone onto them. For Annette, international wine competitions like the International Wine Challenge and Decanter offer a litmus test of quality for the wine community to see that these wineries are truly outstanding from an unbiased standpoint, and also serves as a positive source of affiliation to lesser known regions, wineries and varietals.

Gerald further pleads that wineries ought to also more heavily value the aspect of storytelling, and giving the wine community a chance to fall in love with the winery and in turn help spread the good word. Visitor experience centers, conducting tastings and meet-and-greets, inviting sommeliers to visit, making their wines available via online channels, putting out online resources, and tapping into social media marketing are all viable and readily actionable steps to raising the profile of a winery - or at the very least, ensure that the winery is able to communicate with the world in an international language such as English!

Sommelier-turned-winemaker Reeze Choi, at his Hiroshima vineyards, producing under the name Project 933, which pays homage to Hong Kong and Japan.

Don't You Know? Talking About A(n Asian Wine) Revolution Sounds Like A Whisper

As the panel concludes the spirited discussion, the main takeaway can be summed up as such - Asian wineries have a good chance of making their mark, yet more work remains when it comes to marketing themselves better. The reality remains that Asian wineries do not as of yet offer competitive value when compared to the prices and quality assurance of their Western counterparts, and thus Asian wineries must accept that they must embrace innovation and uniqueness, thereby turning their challenges into a great story. There's simply no space left for another Western wine wannabe - it's time for Asian wine to unapologetically be themselves! That is to say, the rise of Asian wines is within reach, if it is able to confront some existential questions about who it really is and wants to be.

PS: Big shoutout to VinExpo Asia 2025 for hosting incredible masterclasses such as "The Rise of Asian Wines", as well as FoodCult PR for organising the insightful panel discussion!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot