For actress-turned-winemaker Bernice Liu, chasing her passion was a risk well worth taking
- Asked the question of how she would spend HK$8 million, Liu says she would travel to all of the wine regions around the world
- The founder of the Bellavizio wine label reveals how she successfully navigated a career change initially sparked by a chance trip to Napa Valley
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Winemaker Bernice Liu of Bellavizio answers the question of how to spend HK$8 million
If given HK$8 million (about US$1 million) to spend, Bernice Liu, an actress, wine entrepreneur and philanthropist, would put it towards an around-the-world trip.
“I’d first travel the world to all the wine regions,” Liu says. “Then I would probably settle in China, where I could explore a little winemaking.”
Liu, who calls herself a “travelling winemaker”, founded the wine label Bellavizio in California’s Napa Valley in 2008. She has been recognised for her work in the industry, including being named one of the top 10 female winemakers by the Sakura Japan Women’s Wine Awards, and her Bellavizio vintages earning medals at competitions such as the Decanter Asia Wine Awards and the Grand Harvest Awards in the United States.
Born and raised in Canada, Liu moved to Hong Kong in 2001 to pursue an acting career, first appearing in television series such as the TVB sitcom Virtues of Harmony and later on in films including The King of Fighters with Maggie Q.
“From the start, I’ve been somebody who doesn’t define myself as one thing. I go with my passion, so it’s not 100 per cent safe. Moving to Hong Kong was a huge risk, and I didn’t know what to expect,” Liu says, adding that working in the entertainment industry had left her no time to explore anything else.
It was a chance trip to the Napa Valley, taken during one of her acting jobs, that initially sparked her passion for wine. She then met Eric Boissenot, an influential oenologist in the Bordeaux region of France who provided guidance in her unexpected career change from acting to winemaking.
