We’ve been hearing more about online private sales in Singapore lately, with companies like Reebonz offering members-only discounts for branded fashion items and ImpulseFlyer doing the same thing for boutique and luxury hotels.
ChateauAsia is bringing the same concept to wine. The one-year-old startup, which is operating in Singapore and Hong Kong, works with French producers and importers to sell wine at discounts of between 20 percent and 50 percent.
The website’s backend tracks the tastes of its customers, and one day, the company hopes to match them with a database of French wines and their characteristics so that it can offer recommendations.
Beyond its online activities, ChateauAsia holds physical events as well. It targets companies which want to hold wine events for team bonding sessions or just curious customers who want to learn more about wine.
These activities are run by the startup’s sommeliers, or wine stewards, who would select the wine for the event and also teach participants everything about the beverage.
The founder, who wishes to stay anonymous for now, says that he started the business because he finds wines overpriced in Singapore. It is difficult to get decent information on the product too, since retail shops often don’t give them and people with sufficient knowledge of wine are rare.
Self-funded at the moment, ChauteauAsia is moving a modest 150 bottles a month, with an average monthly growth of 15 percent. It will explore raising money should it decide to expand to more parts of the world.
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