At nearly 40 per cent, Australian wines dominate the import market in Singapore, thanks in large part to geographical proximity.  Following Australian wines, the second biggest source market for imported wines is Chile followed by France. Those are among some of the highlights out of a Vinexpo study which paints a portrait of consumption trends up to 2019.

In the run-up to Vinexpo Hong Kong, the biggest and most important wine trade event in Asia taking place next week, here’s a closer look at consumption trends in Singapore, one of six countries in Asia-Pacific profiled ahead of the event:

1. Still red wine represents 70 per cent of the market in Singapore, with 645,000 nine-litre cases consumed in 201, and forecast to remain stable through to 2019.
2. While 251,000 cases of white wine were consumed in 2014, that figure is set to grow slightly to 1.2 per cent to 2019.
3. Australia holds 38.5 per cent of market share for imported wines; Chile has a slight leading edge over France with 16.5 per cent versus 16 per cent.
4. Whisky is Singapore’s favourite spirit and is expected to grow between 2015 and 2019 by 14 per cent.
5. Cognac and Armagnac, which are the second most popular spirits, are forecast to decline nearly 6 per cent over the next five years, mainly due to the declining numbers of Chinese tourists.
6. Gin and tequila are the fourth and fifth most popular spirits, with consumption predicted to spike through to 2019: Gin is predicted to grow by 29 per cent, tequila 23 per cent.

Vinexpo Hong Kong runs from 24 to 26 May.