The image of Italy shines in Hong Kong, among great wines, art exhibitions and haute cuisine

The combination of great wines, haute cuisine, art and culture to relaunch the image of Italy as a whole, in Asia, starting from Hong Kong, which has always been a privileged showcase of the West for the markets of the East. On November 5th, under the direction of Gelardini & Romani Wine Auctions, the only auction house specialized in Italian wines based in Hong Kong, there will be great Italian wines, “such as Brunello di Montalcino Biondi Santi 2008, Montevertine 2015 of Le Pergole Torte and Testamatta Bianco of Bibi Graetz 2018, selected for us by the youngest Master of Wine Sarah Heller - explains Raimondo Romani, to WineNews - the cuisine of chef Uberto Bombana, the only Italian 3 Michelin stars in Asia with his 8 ½ Bombana, to celebrate the Renaissance, in the Everlasting Wonder Gala Dinner, which will be held in the Hong Kong Museum of Art on November 5 reserved for 400 people of the financial and governmental elite of the city, with tickets between 2. 000 and 4,000 euros per person, to present the first historic collaboration with the Uffizi Museum in Florence, with an exhibition dedicated to the Renaissance including works by Botticelli, to toast the collaboration with the Italian Consulate and the CICS (Chinese Italian Cultural Society) in the celebrations of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and China”.
The last great stage of a journey, the one undertaken by Gelardini & Romani, to contribute to the enhancement of Made in Italy, in a market where the social and communicative value of wine & food is very high: “since April 2020 we have supported the Italian catering industry by promoting several wine dinners, 32 of them to date, for which we have sponsored the biggest names in Italian oenology - says Romani - offering the opportunity to combine authentic Italian cuisine, without compromise, myths such as Sassicaia 1985 and 1990, Le Pergole Torte Riserva 1990, Barolo Monfortino 1945, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Biondi Santi 1955, Masseto 1995, Barolo Riserva Bruno Giacosa 1971, just to name a few. .. today finally coveted as a Chateau Lafite or a Romanée Conti. Also, the collaboration with CIAK, a casual concept of Umberto Bombana, recently awarded by Gambero Rosso for the best pizza in Asia, where we held our auctions both in May (the only physical auction held in Hong Kong in the first half of the year) and last Sunday, October 25, where we awarded over 500,000 euros, mainly of Italian wines, which in many cases recorded increases on an auction basis of more than 100%; two sold out events that attracted a qualified audience of over 400 people with a per capita spending between 5,000 and 50,000 euros. And again, to be noted is the collaboration with the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba, which, with the new city leadership of Alan Kwok, is, finally, rivaling the historic French associations (such as the Commanderie de Bordeaux or La Confreres de Chevalier de Taste de Vin for Burgundy wines) that have always driven and helped to retain the local public to the products of the French table”.
A work that benefits all the made in Italy and its image, starting from the wine & food, in a strategic market, both in terms of business and prestige: “at the beginning of the pandemic the image of Italy had reached its lowest point since we landed in Hong Kong in 2011, but, in a few months, thanks to great vitality and synergy between institutions and entrepreneurs, especially food & beverage - says Raimondo Romani - we were able to restore the right luster to our country, in the most important showcase of Asia. The historical, but bitter, custom of the Hong Kong population with respect to the pandemic phenomena (starting from the flu of 1968 - which caused 1 million deaths worldwide - to arrive at the Sars of 2003) has stopped promptly, and before it became uncontrollable, the spread of Covid-19 within the city, allowing an almost normal course of life until today, subject to the consequences of the drastic collapse of tourism, due to the closure of borders (only residents in fact, after quarantine with electronic bracelet, can enter the city from March, ed.). The small size of the Italian community (there are only 2,500 Italian residents in Hong Kong compared, for example, to the French who are over 25,000) with a strong and very qualified presence in the food & beverage sector has certainly helped to coordinate us for the relaunch of our image. Wine and cuisine are central to the social life of Hong Kong, even more than they are in Italy. The small size of the homes and the local culture mean that social life turns around and business is concluded mainly in restaurants (invitations to the home are very rare) which also represent the main opportunity for recreation (the offer of cultural activities such as museums, theaters, concerts or discos is in fact very limited compared to European standards). The food & beverage sector, therefore, even if it does not weigh as much as fashion, industrial machinery or merchandising on the balance of trade is certainly the sector that gives our country the greatest visibility. Like Gelardini & Romani, therefore, we have tried to develop synergies with all the most qualified players in the sector to bring authentic “experiences” to the city that could make up for the inability of Hong Kongers to visit our country, as they used to do before the pandemic”.