Hong Kong

Denman Chan

Denman was raised “in a modest and underprivileged Hong Kong neighbourhood”, where he was subject to the constant “expectation to transcend [our] financial limitations through academic and professional success”. Despite rising to the challenge and meeting the expectations set for him, Denman lacked a sense of fulfilment: until, that is, he came across a WSET wine course a decade ago – a moment which he describes as “transformative”. Wine provides for him a lens to explore the world, and in so doing open himself up to “the diverse perspectives” of the world. He has completed the WSET Diploma and the Certified WSET Educator Training Programme, and is enrolled on the Master of Wine programme. He is passionate about “demystifying wine’s perceived elitism”, as he finds that in Asia it is “often perceived as an elite and superior beverage”. To that end, he works as a wine educator in both Hong Kong and Taipei, conducting classes in both Cantonese and Mandarin so as to make his teaching as widely accessible to as many people as possible. In addition to his work in wine education, he has led “significant D&I and LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives” throughout his professional career. Denman continues to pursue his MW studies, travelling back to Hong Kong regularly for exam and tasting practice, as he is currently the only active MW student in Taipei.