Hong Kong wine merchant Links Concept has partnered with a group of Asia-based wine specialists and sommeliers to launch an online wine auction site, Bidvino.com.
The site, which debuted this week, is aimed at collectors, trade, and those that appreciate a great drop all over the world.
Wines will be sold by the case or single bottle, including some very rare large formats.
A key feature of the site is that customers in Hong Kong and Macau can ‘Buy Now, Ship Later’ meaning they can take advantage of any auction or weekly retail special even if they don’t have room to store the wine.
An active auction runs weekly, ending every Thursday at 3pm HKT and the Buy Now retail store boasts free shipping to Hong Kong addresses (for orders over HKD800), and a HKD60 shipping fee per case for orders to Macau. The weekly auctions are available to bidders all over the world.
Most lots are ex-estate; with all listed wines stored in the group’s temperature-controlled warehousing in Kowloon Bay.
Bidvino.com was conceived to fill the gap between the established traditional auction houses and a high-end retail store where consumers can buy fine wine at reasonable prices.
“Bidding for and buying fine wines has never been easier and more accessible,” said Gareth Edwards, CEO of Bidvino.com.
“We have ensured the customer experience is as simple and straightforward as possible, and have put in place a strict set of rules and processes before we accept a wine into our warehouse for sale. If we can’t be comfortable with a bottle’s provenance, we won’t sell it.”
Bidvino.com and JamesSuckling.com have partnered for a joint stand at the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival this week and will be running a tasting of some of the wines available in Bidvino’s Buy Now catalogue, including brands such as Louis Roederer Cristal, Torbreck, Antinori, Mayacamas, Shaw & Smith, Alvaro Palacios, JL Chave, Continuum, Dow’s and Louis Latour.
Links Concept was established in 2000 and has exclusive agency over many family-owned wineries including Louis Roederer, Antinori, Domaine JL Chave, Louis Latour, Sine Qua Non, Alvaro Palacios, and Torbreck in Hong Kong and Macau.