Availability of wine in Hong Kong?
 

The European boards are my usual haunt, but my daughter and I are spending a week in Hong Kong later this month. Thanks to advice I picked up here, we've booked a room at the Salisbury Hotel.

In the event we wanted to have a glass of wine back in our rooms, how are wine, beer, and spirits sold in Hong Kong? Would there be a shop near our hotel where we could purchase a bottle of wine?

Thanks in advance ...

Anselm

is it the salisbury ymca that you are staying at? if so there is a huge grocery store in the mall across the street at the new world ren. hotel which i am sure sells wine...

rhkkmk, yes, we're at the YMCA. That grocery store sounds perfect.

Thanks for the information. I have learned so much on the Asia forum over the last several weeks. We're looking forward to our trip.

Anselm

Or on the west side of the YMCA is the Harbour City shopping center. Watson's Wine Cellar is shop 3207A. However, it's a very large mall, and it can be kind of a walk just for wine.

By googling, I also find one called Ponti Wine Cellars, 28 Hankow Road, which is just 2 blocks from the YMCA.

Beer and spirit are sold everywhere in HK, including supermarkets and convenient stores 7-Eleven and Circle-K. However, to find highend wine, you'll need to go to a wine store like the Watson's Wine Cellar.

great dim sum in the basement of the kowloon hotel which is near the Y...

the grocery store is not exactly across the street but not far....it is in a huge mall and the store is on the 2nd or 3rd floor and has everything...

Like yourself, I booked the Salisbury based on advice on this board, and it was great. The place is not exactly posh but it is certainly quite clean, modern and comfortable, and the staff quite pleasant and efficient. Didn't eat in their lobby "coffee shop" but had a couple buffet breakfasts in the second floor restaurant and it was good.
The recommendations above are consistent with what I recall, and my trip was just a few months back. Have a great time!

The Salisbury is the upgraded YMCA of those yester years. No great shakes but fantastic location for a quarter of the price of all those 6-star hotels around it.

Yes, wines & beers of all types are virtually available in all super mkts like PARK N SHOP, WELLCOME & smaller utlility stores like 7-eleven, Circle K etc which are in plenty all around.

I shall endore the Watson Wine Cellar for high end wines but you will have to break your head a bit in locating one in the Ocean Centre/Terminal near your hotel (most malls are interconnected & with multiple levels/floors, one must chk the directory first for exact location before venturing in the maze)

Alcohol is one of the few things that are actually taxed in Hong Kong (cigarettes and gasoline are the other two), so prices are generally high. It is hard to find a bottle of wine for less than US$10, and prices for even average wines start at $20 and then go up. If you are used to European retail prices for wine, you will get a little sticker shock. In addition, the transit and storage of wine is not always the best, so wines can be spoiled. I would not risk a lot of money for a bottle of good European wine, as you may end up being disappointed in the quality. I would stick to Australian, Chilean and lower priced European wines. Also try the many varieties of Asian beers.

If there is a specific vineyard you want, you might consider bringing a bottle with you. You are allowed to bring in one bottle duty-free.

I agree with the recco for Watsons, the only locations I am aware of are two on the Hong Kong Island side, one in Central and one in Admiralty.

Another good place for wine is Oliver’s gourmet grocery store on the second floor of the shopping centre in the Prince’s Building, across the street from the Mandarin Hotel (and connected by a walkway). This would be about 100 yards from the Star Ferry exit. They also are a deli and do great sandwiches, baked goods and have prepared foods, good for takeaways and picnics (Or to take up for breakfast on the Peak.)

Thanks to all of you for the information and advice, including the warning about wine prices. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, so I am unfortunately familiar with high taxes on alcohol. (It is all the more noticeable when we travel to France, where a comparable amount of money buys a better wine.) We'll probably stick to the low-to-medium price range, and we will definitely be trying Asian beer.

I'll post some trip notes when we get back.

Anselm

Cicerone's recommendation of Oliver's in the Prince's Building is excellent. That's where many expats (and locals too) get their deli and gourmet food. It's also a very cramped place.

I also visited the deli at the Seibu in Pacific Place last time while in HK. Good quality stuff and wide selections, but I find the prices for everything pretty high.

I am not too impressed by most Asian beers. But if you're interested in very strong beer, try the Carlsburg Special Brew.

[And most people in Hong Kong do consider Carlsburg a "local" beer as it had a brewery in HK for a long time, until they moved it up to China a few years ago. And San Miguel (originally from the Philippines) has an even longer history in HK - their lager is not bad, but the color is, IMHO.]

What's the availability of decent wine in China? Is it served in restaurants? hotels? sold in stores?

There are lots of Chinese wines, made mostly from rice (and sometimes fruit like lychees), that you might want to try. They are also developing a grape wine industry, but I could not give you specifics, it might be fun to try as prices should be good. European and other imported wines are still a new thing and consumed mostly by upper middle class people in cities; there is always a big to do at restaurants when the Beaujolais Noveau arrives. . . wine at retail and in restaurants is quite expensive. Not sure you would find it on all supermarket shelves, but shops catering to westerners (like in the Lufthansa Shopping Centre attached to the Kempinski Hotel in Beijing) would have it. The shipping and storage problems I mention above with regard to Hong Kong would apply even more so in China, so I would not risk a fair sum on imported wine.

Thanks, Cicerone, for the wine info.