The Wine Chronicle 《品醇集》

PROWINE ASIA TO BE HELD 13-16 JULY WHILE DUSSELDORF IS POSTPONED

NEWS 29-2-2020

The rescheduled ProWine Asia Singapore will now be held in July alongside FHA-HoReCa show while the flagship ProWein Dusseldorf is postponed pending a new date.

MORE COVID-19 WOES: GLOBAL DRINKS GIANTS CUT TRADING ESTIMATES

NEWS 27-2-2020

Global drinks giants Budweiser APAC, Diageo and Treasury Wine Estates have cut trading estimates amid abrupt sales declines in China and Asia due to COVID-19.

CHINA DATA: SPIRITS IMPORTS UP 32% BUT WINE DOWN 11% IN 2019

NEWS 25-2-2020

China’s spirits imports grew 32% in 2019, the best performing category is liqueur and cordial with growth of 155%. Wine imports, however, declined by 11%.

MAJOR HONG KONG WINE AUCTIONS POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19

NEWS 24-2-2020

Sotheby's announced postponing Finest and Rare Wine Hong Kong auction from April to early July after Christie's postponed theirs from March to late May.

INDIA’S DRINKS TRADE URGED GOVERNMENT TO STAND FIRM AGAINST TRUMP ON TARIFFS

NEWS 20-2-2020

Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India next week, Indian alcoholic beverage industry urged the government not to make concessions on import tariffs.

CHINESE RETAILER FINED RMB30K FOR VODKA KILLS CORONAVIRUS CLAIM

NEWS 19-2-2020

A Chinese supermarket claiming a 75% abv Vodka can double up as disinfectant to kill coronavirus was fined RMB30,000 (USD4826) for violating food safety laws.

MACALLAN 1926 60YO SOLD FOR £825,000, 31.25% LOWER THAN LAST ACHIEVED

NEWS 18-2-2020

The last achieved price was £1.2m 4 months ago, it is not immediately clear if the COVID-19 situation has dampened bidding interests from China and Asia.

ASIA WINE SHOWS UPDATE: SINGAPORE AND CHENGDU POSTPONED, HK STAYS PUT FOR NOW

NEWS 17-2-2020

This year's ProWine Asia Singapore show and the China Food and Drinks Chengdu show have been postponed due to COVID-19, while Vinexpo Hong Kong stays put for now.

FOCUS 13-2-2020

近年一款叫Hard Seltzer的酒精飲品，不但包裝奪目，更擁有低熱量低酒精等優勢，在美國年青千禧族間大受歡迎，誓有威脅葡萄酒的趨勢，連葡萄酒巨頭EJ Gallo也要加入這個市場。

FREE BOOZE: ALCOHOL FLOWS FROM TAPS IN AN INDIAN RESIDENTIAL BLOCK

NEWS 12-2-2020

Excise officials dug a pit to dump confiscated liquor mistakenly contaminated a well which supplies fresh water to a nearby residential block affecting 18 families.

USA TRADE GROUPS: TRUMP’S EU WINE TARIFFS BENEFITED CHINA

NEWS 11-2-2020

Ahead of possible 100% tariffs on EU wines, two of USA’s wine trade groups said punitive tariffs failed to benefit them but benefited China and other markets instead.

SMART AUSSIE COUPLE ENJOY DRONE DELIVERED WINE ON QUARANTINED CRUISE

NEWS 10-2-2020

A smart Australian couple being quarantined in the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan managed to get their wine club to deliver two cases of wine by drone.

AUSSIE WINE CHINA EXPORT HIT AUD1.3B, CONTINUES TO BEAT FRANCE

NEWS 7-2-2020

Australia consolidated its position as China’s top source of imported wines ahead of France in 2019, the export grew by 12 percent in value to AUD1.3 billion.

BORDEAUX’S CITÉ DU VIN PLANS TO OPEN SISTER MUSEUM IN BEIJING

NEWS 6-2-2020

Bordeaux's wine museum Cité du Vin is planning to open a sister museum in Beijing's Fangshan District next year, the project is reported to cost USD66.5 million.

EU EXPORTED 17.3% MORE WINE TO JAPAN 10 MONTHS INTO FREE TRADE DEAL

NEWS 4-2-2020

Upon anniversary of EU-Japan free trade deal, statistics showed that wine exports from EU to Japan grew 17.3% in the first 10 months of the new trade agreement.

LOTTERY TO WIN LIMITED RELEASE OF 55YO YAMAZAKI STARTS THIS WEEK

NEWS 3-2-2020

Only 100 bottles of this whisky will be released at a price of ¥3 million (USD27,600), buyers will have to enter a lottery to be held 5-14 February in Japan.

FOCUS 30-1-2020

法國原產地機構INAO，日前建議將43個位於勃艮第南部，現屬於Beaujolais產區的村落，劃入勃艮第範圍內，並建議將64個位於產區北部Chablis地區的村落剔出，建議遭Chablis業界極力反對。

JAPAN’S SUNTORY BUYS 10% STAKE IN MACALLAN’S OWNER EDRINGTON

NEWS 29-1-2020

Japanese drinks giant Suntory Holdings is to buy a 10% stake in Scottish whisky producer Edrington, owner of The Macallan, for an undisclosed amount.

WINE AND CHEESE AMONG PRODUCTS PROTECTED BY EU-VIETNAM FREE TRADE DEAL

NEWS 28-1-2020

A total of 169 European products such as Champagne, Rioja and Feta cheese will enjoy protection in Vietnam when the EU-Vietnam free trade deal is approved next month.

FRENCH CHINESE IN BORDEAUX WINE TRADE AMONG CONFIRMED WUHAN VIRUS CASES

NEWS 27-1-2020

A French citizen of Chinese origin, 48, in the Bordeaux wine trade was confirmed to have contracted the new coronavirus, French health minister Agnès Buzyn has confirmed.

CHINA’S WINE PRODUCTION DROPPED FOR THE 6TH YEAR THOUGH DECLINE ABATING

NEWS 23-1-2020

China’s latest statistics showed that wine production dropped to 5.24 million hectoliters (mhl) in 2019 from 6.29 mhl in 2018, the sixth year of decline in a row.

INDIA PROPOSED TO HALVE DUTY-FREE ALCOHOL PURCHASE TO ONE LITER

NEWS 21-1-2020

The Indian Commerce Ministry has recommended to cut duty-free alcohol purchases for inbound passengers from two liters to one liter ahead of the Federal Budget on 1st February.

IWSR: CHINA BEAT FRANCE AND ITALY TO BECOME WORLD’S TOP RED WINE CONSUMER

NEWS 20-1-2020

Though USA remains world's biggest consumer of all wine types, China has emerged to be the biggest consumer of red wine, according to International Wine and Spirit Research.

VINEXPO HONG KONG 2020 WILL GO AHEAD DESPITE SOCIAL UNREST

NEWS 17-1-2020

The French organiser of Vinexpo Hong Kong said the 2020 show will go ahead in May as scheduled despite the social unrest which has disrupted the Asian financial hub.

SURVEY: 39% OF CHINA’S RICH PEOPLE LOVE WINES COMPARED TO 25% FOR BAIJIU

NEWS 16-1-2020

Thirty-nine percent of China’s high-net-worth individuals prefer wines compared to 25% who prefer baijiu, according to Hurun Chinese Luxury Consumer Survey 2020.

FOCUS 15-1-2020

一月份真的很熱鬧，除了有Dry January外，又有鼓勵消費者只吃Vegan食物的Veganuary。很多人以為葡萄酒是Vegan飲品，卻原來大部份的葡萄酒，釀製過程採用了蛋白及魚膠等來自動物的材料，並不符合Vegan原則。

NIKKA TO SUSPEND SHIPMENTS OF THREE JAPANESE WHISKIES WITH AGE STATEMENTS

NEWS 14-1-2020

Japan’s Nikka Whisky Distillery has announced that they will suspend shipments of three products with age statements after the end of March due to a shortage of raw whisky.

INDIA’S WINE CAPITAL NASHIK RECEIVED 55K TOURISTS OVER THE HOLIDAY

NEWS 8-1-2020

Over 55,000 tourists from across India visited the wineries in Nashik district in Maharashtra State during the last 10 days in 2019, driving hotel occupancy rate to 100%.

NZ WINES LOOK SET TO GET CHEAPER IN SINGAPORE WITH UPGRADED TRADE PACT

NEWS 6-1-2020

The upgraded free trade agreement between New Zealand and Singapore took effect on 1st January, Singaporeans can look forward to possible drop in prices of New Zealand wines.

AMERICAN WINES MORE COMPETITIVE IN JAPAN AS US-JAPAN TRADE DEAL TOOK EFFECT

NEWS 2-1-2020

US-Japan trade agreement entered into force yesterday, US wine tariff in Japan was reduced and is expected to be phased out in seven years.