This year, VitaBella will be well represented at Vinexpo Hong Kong, from the 26th to the 28th of May 2026. Exceptionally well represented, in fact. For the first time, our AI agents will form part of the delegation. No Air France business class tickets, no hotel expense claims — they materialise at will, speak Mandarin with perfect fluency, and are entirely immune to jet lag. A quiet revolution, yet one that has already proved indispensable in meeting the precision and responsiveness our clients rightly demand.
That said, the subjects awaiting us in the aisles of Vinexpo are altogether real — and they reach well beyond the profound crisis currently shaking the world of wine.
The mid-range: a question that can no longer be dismissed. For some months now, one question has returned with mounting insistence: is there still a future in the mid-range? The temptation to consolidate brand portfolios around fewer, stronger positions is considerable, and it will sit at the heart of many a conversation — on the stands, in the corridors, and over the dinners that lie ahead. At VitaBella, we hold that this soul-searching, far from constituting a threat, is an invitation to strategic clarity.
A new generation of tastemakers to win over. Asia continues to advance at a formidable pace. The new generation of influencers and prescribers — whose codes and expectations differ profoundly from those of their predecessors — demands a resolutely renewed approach. It is no simple undertaking. Yet those who choose to regard this shift as an opportunity for evolution, rather than an obstacle to their growth, will secure a decisive advantage across the region.
Perceived value: the new holy grail of wine. Finally, we shall turn with great interest to the conclusions of a recent Deloitte study — and our thanks go to Jean Frédéric Hugel for bringing it to our attention. The message is unambiguous: it is no longer price alone that governs the act of purchasing a wine, but its perceived value. Heritage, exclusivity, narrative — these are the levers that estates must engage with conviction, and with data to support them. “Find your brand’s unique quality drivers and tell its story”: a single injunction that encapsulates, perhaps more eloquently than any other, the defining strategic challenge of the wine world in our time.
Hong Kong, here we come. I look forward to seeing you there.
Contact Guillaume Jourdan via LinkedIn
