For a country consumed by all things related to food, it makes sense that Singapore would be just as enamoured with wine. Despite its modest size, an affluent community eager to explore wines beyond the usual labels makes the island city a burgeoning wine hub.
Mark Varadi understands this appetite for unique and niche wine options. The CEO of Juliet Victor Asia (JV Asia) has wine in his blood, having grown his family’s wine business at Juliet Victor Vineyards in the historic Tokaj wine region, a protected UNESCO world heritage site in Hungary.
Armed with a collection of lesser-known and exported wine varieties, Varadi has earmarked Singapore as the gateway to Asia for the distributorship of Tokaji wines.
“Asia is an incredibly exciting and growing wine market, with each country presenting different opportunities. A wine brand being able to succeed in Singapore would serve as a reference for the other Asian markets.”
Mark Varadi on why he chose Singapore as the launchpad
Since its launch in Singapore in 2021, the new kid on the block has expanded its distribution of Tokaji wines to China and, more recently, South Korea. There will be more to come.
While being a younger distributor meant JV Asia started out with a short list of on-trade clients and a relatively small product portfolio, it also meant that it was not restricted by an existing wine portfolio.
This gave JV Asia the flexibility to curate unique brands it believed would be well received in Singapore. Varadi and his team of two were confident of the niche their wines filled and emphasised the storied histories of the boutique wineries they worked with to showcase the value of their wines. The approach of building their brand through education and awareness has worked well, as fine-dining establishments such as Odette and 67 Pall Mall are proud to be JV Asia partners.
The company has clearly grasped the market. Varadi says JV Asia’s unique position as a distributor with a winery perspective allows it to use market insights and feedback to shape projects, the most recent being a sparkling wine project it is personally involved in. “We choose wineries we have strong conviction in. For example, we started working with Exton Park from England and are confident that its sparkling rosé fills a market gap in Singapore.”
Such robust insights into what consumers want can only be gained from keeping an ear to the ground. Varadi recognises how food and wine surpass just taste—it is the entire experience that speaks to consumers.
On JV Asia’s retail strategy, he remarks, “While we are currently not ruling out a physical retail space in the future, we are focusing on building a well-curated wine portfolio and introducing our brands through events. We frequently organise events for both trade and private clients including masterclasses, wine pairings, and more lifestyle-driven events, to raise the awareness of wineries in the lesser-known wine regions.”
He adds that JV Asia hopes to keep growing the distribution company with a small portfolio of winery partnerships.
“We want our trade partners to continue to trust us to bring them wines that the market will enjoy and to continue to offer unique experiences to our private clients. Wine brings people together. I have met some incredibly passionate people within the wine community I am happy to call friends today,” Varadi says.
With his outlook, it looks like the future for Hungarian wines in Asia is brimming with promise.
Producer: Adora Wong
Art director: Ed Harland
Videographer: Alicia Chong & Yvonne Isabelle Ling
Photographer: Mun Kong
Photographer’s assistant: Teo Ren Jie
Makeup: Aung Apichai & Keith Bryant Lee
Hair: Jenny Ng & Keith Bryant Lee
Watches: Grand Seiko
