Biography:
Jeannie Cho Lee is the first Asian Master of Wine (MW) and an award-winning author, television host, editor, wine critic, judge and educator. Jeannie has been a Professor of Practice at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel & Tourism Management since 2012. She is currently the Co-Chair of the Decanter Asia Wine Awards and the Burgundy Chair for the Decanter World Wine Awards. Since 2008 she has been Singapore Airline’s Wine Consultant and a monthly wine columnist for Robb Report China. Jeannie holds a Certificat de Cuisine from Cordon Bleu and is a Certified Wine Educator with both the UK’s Wine & Spirits Education Trust and the US Society of Wine Educators. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College as well as a Master’s degree from Harvard University. For three years Jeannie co-hosted a weekly wine program In Vino Veritas on TVB Pearl, Hong Kong’s leading English-language TV broadcaster. Her two books, Mastering Wine and Asian Palate, have won numerous awards, including the Gourmand Award for Best Food and Wine Pairing Book in the World. Jeannie’s upcoming book on Burgundy, in English and in Chinese, will be launched by Assouline in June 2019.

Presentation Title:
Making Sense of Hong Kong and China's Evolving Wine Consumption Market Over the Past 25 Years

Since 1994, Jeannie Cho Lee has been based in Hong Kong following the developments of the Asian wine market as a writer for Wine Spectator and the Asian editor for Decanter magazines. She details the tumultuous and dramatic changes over the past 25 years that have led to Hong Kong becoming Asia's fine wine hub and China becoming the fifth largest consumer of wine in the world. Outlining the wine boom and bust cycle of recent decades, Jeannie shares with us her insights on the relationship between Hong Kong and China. The evolution and differences in wine consumption culture in both regions will be explored with final thoughts on the future of the wine market in Hong Kong and China.