Supported by Women In Business Committee
Speakers:
Christelle Chêne, Worldwide Brand Ambassador & International Affairs Director, Ningxia Xige Estate
Emma Gao, Owner and Chief Winemaker, Silver Heights Winery
Jennifer Docherty, Master of Wine
Judy Chan, CEO & Executive Director, Grace Wine Holdings Limited
Moderator:
Yvonne Cheung, Founder, YZ Consulting; Board Member, GuildSomm International
Women in Wine: The fervour behind China’s thirst for wine
Join us for an exclusive event that will take you on a captivating journey into the world of Chinese wine, with a special focus on Ningxia wine. As a wine lover in Hong Kong, this is an opportunity you won't want to miss!
At the event we will explore 3 key areas, detailed below:
Discover the Quality, Types, and Uniqueness of Chinese Wine:
Immerse yourself in the flavors and stories behind Chinese fine wine. We will delve into the exquisite wines produced in Ningxia, exploring the grape varieties, winemaking techniques, and the distinct characteristics that make these wines truly exceptional.
Celebrate the Role of Women in the Chinese Wine Industry:
We will also shine a spotlight on the remarkable contributions of women in the Chinese wine industry. Learn about the inspiring women winemakers, viticulturists, and professionals who are shaping the future of Chinese wine.
The Challenges and Benefits of Being a New Wine Market:
Embark on a thought-provoking discussion about the challenges and benefits faced by emerging wine markets, with a particular focus on the Chinese wine industry.
Please join us for this unique event that will broaden your wine knowledge, challenge your perceptions, and introduce you to the exciting world of Chinese wine.
About the speakers
Christelle Chêne, Xige Estate Worldwide Brand Ambassador & International Affairs Director. Born in famous French Wine Region Burgundy
Graduated from Chinese Major (INALCO Paris and Sino-French International Management Master Degree
1 Year Exchange program at Sichuan University in Chengdu in 2007 (Chinese Specialty)
Past working experience include:
Wine Specialist at the French General Consulate in Wuhan China for The Aquitaine Region Office
Sales Director & Brand Ambassador for a Top Bordeaux Wine Merchant, later for different French wineries from different wine regions and their wineries overseas (Argentina, Spain, Chile...)
Settled in Ningxia Helan Mountain Wine Region in 2019 to join Xige Estate as Worldwide Brand Ambassador & International Affairs Director.
Hello, this is Emma, Owner and chief winemaker of Silver Heights Winery. Our first vintage started in 2007. In early days, our wines quickly gained attention and critical acclaim from most respected media and wine critics all over the world (Wine Spectator/ Decanter/ Jancis Robinson/ Robert Parker/ RVF, etc). Over the years, Silver Heights has been presented and served at state dinners several times, which is great privilege.
The story of Silver Heights is about family’s passion, beginning with my father, Lin Gao, who started in charge of vineyard management in 1997. At that time, the provincial government just began to transform Ningxia's Helan Mountains into China's most exciting center of wine production. My father had long believed that Ningxia had the extraordinary potential to be a world-class wine region and he persuaded me to study winemaking in France.
Before I went to France, I had known little about wine. At the age of 21?, I went to lycée viticole de l’Orange .to study wine. After graduation, I enrolled in Bordeaux University's wine faculty for master degree. During those years, I obtained the Diplome National d’Oenologue, and became proficient in French. I got chance to work in various cellars, including Château Calon-Ségur of St-Estèphe, where I was able to acquire much knowledge and experience.
Although had a wonderful time in France, I finally decided to return to Ningxia, where I was born and Raised. In 2007, my father and I, founded Silver Heights. After several years search for the ideal site, in 2012, Silver Heights set in Jinshan, a village located at the foothills of the Helan Mountains in China’s northwestern Ningxia province. From first vintage of 10 barrels to 70-hectare vineyards today, Silver Heights has grown dramatically and become one of China’s most exciting family-owned boutique wineries.
The love and respect of tradition and land undeniably supports me to go further.In 2018, I decided to apply organic agriculture and biodynamic practices to the entire vineyards. The practice is easy for Chinese people to understand as it is based on the same philosophy of 24 solar terms, Jie Qi. Minimal intervention is adopted to both vines and wines. While no Chemical products are used in vineyards, vinification follows the guidelines which preserve and express the grape and nature.
Now, Silver Heights is exported to 16 countries and has been well appreciated by wine lovers from different culture backgrounds.
In 2015, Jennifer Docherty became the first ethnically Chinese and Mandarin speaker to achieve one of the
highest qualifications in wine, the Master of Wine (MW). She is unique in Asia because she has worked in
the wine business for 16 years in sales, fine wine trading and buying. There are currently 414 MWs globally
and only 500 people have passed the exams since 1953.
Jennifer moved from London to Hong Kong in 2018 to experience the vibrant Asian drinks market. Over the
last four and a half years she has worked as the head of buying and education for Summergate Fine Wines
and Spirits with offices in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China. Her team manages the Summergate
portfolio and provides training to staff and customers across greater China. In addition to sourcing, she
advises suppliers on how to expand their distribution using the appropriate channel strategy.
In November, she will leave her post at Summergate to focus on her dissertation for a master’s in applied
neuroscience from King’s College London and wine consultancy. Alongside her wine qualifications, she also
holds the SSI Master of Sake (kikisake-shi), a WSET Level 3 Award in Sake and is a panel chair judge for
the IWC Sake Competition in London.
Judy Chan is CEO & Executive Director of Grace Wine Holdings Limited, the bland as “Grace
Vineyard”, one of China’s most highly regarded wine producers.
She took over the winery in 2002 in charge of administration and brand image. Helmed by her,
the winery is one of the best boutique winemaker in China.
The success of the winery became a case study of Harvard Business School MBA program in
2008; moreover, the winery offers the wines to the in-flight services of Cathay Pacific Airways first
and business classes. Following the initial success, Judy Chan is determined to upgrade the
winery by advanced quality and vivid brand image with all dedication. June 2018, Grace Vineyard
listed in Hong Kong successfully.
Judy has received a number of awards and accolades for her achievements including:
2010 Entrepreneur of The Year for Hong Kong & Macau by Ernst & Young
2012 Asian Wine Personality of the Year by the Institute of Masters of Wine
2012 Ranked 8th out of 50 Most Powerful Women in Wine by The Drinks Business
2014 Ranked 5th out of 25 Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink by Food & Wine Magazine
2017 Outstanding Women Professionals & Entreprenuers by Hong Kong Women Professionals &
Entrepreneurs Association
2018 One of the world’s most influential women in wine by the UK Drink Business Magazine
2022 The 4th Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Awards - Greater China Business Award.
Prior to taking up her role at Grace Vineyard, Judy was a HR Professional at Goldman Sachs.
Judy received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Women’s Studies and Organizational Studies
from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the United States.
About the moderator
Yvonne was born in southern California and graduated from UCLA with degrees in both Cultural Anthropology and East Asian Studies. In 2005 she began a more intensive and professional education in the narrative of food and wine history at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She returned to the west coast in 2007 to round off her schooling in the wine industry in Napa Valley.
Moving to Swire Hotels in 2010 as Chef Sommelier at the award-winning hotel, The Upper House, Yvonne became Group Director of Wine in 2014, where she was responsible for the wine program at each of the properties in Hong Kong, China and the US, as well as acting as a wine consultant for Cathay Pacific Airways. In 2016, she became Food and Beverage Director and oversaw the successful transformation of Café Gray Deluxe into Salisterra in 2020, working with the creative talents Gray Kunz, Andre Fu, and Jun Tanaka.
Yvonne has been featured in many publications including, SCMP, Elle, Tatler, Prestige, and was described by Forbes as Asia’s Top Sommelier. Most recently in 2023, she was one of ten chosen for the inaugural Women’s Sommelier Symposium in Santa Barbara, California, a three-day gathering targeted to reinforce a new generation of leaders strengthened by female representation.
In 2015, Yvonne also won the Rudd Scholarship from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and in 2014 was the first winner of the international Ruinart Challenge for Asia. A panel judge for trade competitions, and speaker at conferences relating to the food and beverage industry, Yvonne now runs her own consultancy for fine wine merchants and food and beverage outlets in Hong Kong. She sits on the board of GuildSomm, a beverage education platform based in the US, and she remains committed to the proliferation of the industry, one glass at a time.
Pricing
- Member: HK$480
- Non-Member: HK$590
Terms & Conditions
- Reservations in advance are required. Please consider your booking confirmed unless notified otherwise.
- Cancellations must be made in writing 24 hours prior to the event. No shows will be charged.
- This event is closed to the media.
- The event will be cancelled if the No.8 Typhoon signal or the Black Rain Storm warning is in force.
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