Ep. 2590 Inside the Malaysian Wine Market: Key Cities, Culture & Consumer Profile with KC Tay | Asia Wine Market

Welcome to the Asia Wine Market and Episode 2590 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Roza Zharmukhambetova interviews the wine consultant, educator, and champion of Malaysia's wine scene, KC Tay, about the wine market and consumer preferences in Malaysia.

Key learning objectives:

• Understand the structure and cultural specificities of the Malaysian wine market, including consumption habits and key cities.
• Identify key market players, distribution channels, and the Malaysian wine consumer profile.
• Gain practical insights into opportunities, challenges, and long-term strategies for Italian wineries entering or expanding in Malaysia.

Companies mentioned by KC: Boutiq Wine, With Love from Italy

Places to check out while in Kuala Lumpur: Park90 KL, Racines KL, Chim by Chef Noom, Farmer's Bar

More about today’s guest:

Kwang Chan (KC) Tay is an experienced sommelier, wine and cheese expert, and Treasurer for the Sommelier Association of Malaysia (SOMLAY). He is the Winner of Best Sommelier for Italian Wine Malaysia 2024 and has extensive experience in education, event management, consultancy, and social media content creation. KC has represented Malaysia on prestigious platforms, including the RVF World Tasting Championship 2023 in France, the SJM Asia Top Sommelier Summit 2023 & 2024 in Macau, and the ASI Bootcamp Asia Pacific 2025.

As a freelance professional, he specializes in wine dinners, tastings, and workshops, with a particular focus on wine and cheese pairing. KC has also been invited by the European Commission to lead workshops and seminars on dairy products at Food & Hotel Asia 2022 and 2025, continuously sharing his expertise with both industry professionals and consumers.

Connect:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tay-kwang-chan-907358167/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k_c_tay_/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kctay/ 

More about the host:

Roza Zharmukhambetova has a background in foreign languages and education. She discovered her passion for wine in Beijing, where she gained two years of experience in wine sales. Since returning to Kazakhstan, she has focused on studying Italian wine and exploring its regions. Roza holds certifications as an Italian Wine Ambassador (VIA), Italian Wine Scholar (WSG), Langhe Wines Ambassador (BBA), and Valpolicella Wine Specialist (VEP). She is also a member of the Kazakhstan Sommelier Association. Since the end of 2024, she has been a member of the Italian Wine Podcast (IWP) team, contributing her passion for Italian wine.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/le_vin_en_rose/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rozazharmukhambetova/ 

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Until next time, Cin Cin!