The scent of wine welcomes anyone's nostrils upon entering the dining hall. The scent complements the large oak drums along the walls, and one would think this was in Europe.  Unbelievably, this winery is in east Asia, in Hongkong to be exact.

A Canadian businesswoman, Lysanne Tusar, founded The 8th Estate Winery, in the Ap Lei Chau area, Hongkong, in 2007. The thriving life-style in Hongkong has acquired a fine taste for wine, thus Tusar judged that a winery would be needed in this semi-tropical city. "It's not impossible to have a winery in Hongkong. Here we adapt to the culture and taste of Asia, especially Hongkong," she said to Kompas.com, Tuesday.

Since it was established, The 8th Estate Winery has imported grapes from the US and Italy. Now on their 3rd year, they plan to cooperate with Australian vineyards. In one shipment, they could receive up to 50 tons of grapes. After the grapes have been chilled for two weeks, and fermented, then it will go through the pressing process and again through fermentation and aging. "Everything is done here," she said, pointing at the production and packing rooms.

With six staff members and two part-timers, The 8th Estate Winery can produce 100,000 bottles of wine per year. And each year, The 8th Estate Winery produces nine kinds of wines divided into three categories: white wine (such as Fume Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Un-Oaked Chardonnay), red wine (Heritage, Shiraz, and Merlot), and ice wine (Prelude, Affair, and Passion).

"The favorites are Fume Blanc and Passion. The top favorite being Passion," she said. Each bottle is around 215 to 265 HKD and mostly are marketed in China, including Hongkong of course.

Tusar is sure that The 8th Estate Winery, number 8 being a lucky number in the Chinese culture, will continue to be fortunate and that Asia will one day be one of the leaders of the world wine market, especially because wine in Asia is not just a unique drink, but it also has become an everyday drink, especially in Hongkong.