The elimination of duty on wine into Hong Kong is developing a whole new wine drinking consumer group that presents a great opportunity for Hawke's Bay wineries, according to Debra Meiburg, Master of Wine and long-time Hong Kong resident.

Ms Meiburg, who was in Hawke's Bay last week to meet winemakers, says there is a rapidly growing mid-market of consumers who can now purchase wine at affordable prices through supermarkets. Prior to the change in duty status, wines were either premium priced, or cheap banquet wines drunk in huge quantity, and largely not stocked in supermarkets.

She suggested that the Bordeaux-style wines produced in Hawke's Bay were a "very good fit" with a restrained taste that would suit Asian palates, and there was "a buzz" around this region's Syrah.

"More people are experimenting more with wine now that it's more affordable, and wine has really exploded as a lifestyle beverage. It's now hip, trendy, stylish to drink wine."

She said that generally in Hong Kong, locals did not entertain at home but went to restaurants and booked large tables or private rooms to host dinner parties, and as a consequence wine was not often drunk in homes. However, this was changing for the younger generation, particularly young professionals who may have studied away from Asia, who were beginning to enjoy wines at home.

Ms Meiburg was the guest of Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Inc. and was hosted to a regional introduction, tasting a selection of local wines before meeting a group of winery representatives to give them advice on how to break into the Hong Kong and China market. She also visited a number of wineries.

A celebrated wine journalist and speaker, Ms Meiburg was identified as one of ten people to watch in Decanter's Power List. She is a widely respected wine judge and a founder and director of the first Asian wine competition, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit competition. She has written a guide to the Hong Kong wine trade, and has an online wine show, Meet the Winemaker.