The Wine Chronicle《品醇集》

FRENCH COURT CONFISCATED 9 BORDEAUX CHATEAUX FROM HAICHANG GROUP BOSS QU NAIJIE

NEWS 16-5-2024

A French court ruled yesterday to confiscate 9 Bordeaux chateaux from the Dalian businessman for having used embezzled funds in the purchase of the properties. He was also sentenced to a suspended three-year jail term and fined €1 million.

CHEF’S PENCIL: COPENHAGEN, HONG KONG & MACAU PRICIEST FOR MICHELIN DINING

NEWS 15-5-2024

Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Macau are the most expensive cities to dine in Michelin-starred restaurants, while Chengdu and Vancouver are the most affordable, research by food magazine Chef’s Pencil showed.

HIGH MAINTENANCE: HALF YEAR UPKEEP OF FORFEITED ASSETS COSTS S’PORE S$650,000

NEWS 13-5-2024

Seized in a high profile money laundering case last August, these assets worth $S3 bilion include thousands of bottles of fine wine and spirits, properties, branded bags, watches, trophy cars, gold bars and cash.

TIM FORD: TWE TO EXPAND CHINA TEAM BY 2/3 TO REBUILD BRAND PRESENCE

NEWS 9-5-2024

TWE CEO Tim Ford said in the Macquarie Australia Conference earlier this week that the company is planning to expand its Chinese team from about 120 staff to around 200 by as early as July and August to navigate its re-entry into the Chinese market.

MACRON CHARMED XI WITH TOP COGNACS & SPARED PRODUCERS FROM INTERIM TARIFFS

NEWS 7-5-2024

Macron presented two bottles of Cognacs as state gifts, visiting Chinese president Xi was believed to have promised that no interim duties will be imposed on Cognacs during anti-dumping probe.

蘇格蘭大學建立烈酒數據庫     有助更快識別假冒產品

FOCUS 6-5-2024

蘇格蘭Heriot-Watt大學的研究人員，正在建立一個資料庫，將可以提供數百款品牌烈酒的化學特徵數據，成為確定產品真偽的資訊來源，可以協助更快速地檢測出假酒。

WINE AUSTRALIA REPORTED FIRST CHINA EXPORT UPLIFT SINCE 2020 UP 21% IN PAST 12 MONTHS

NEWS 2-5-2024

Exports of Australian wine to Mainland China experienced the first uplift since 2020, growing 21 percent by value to AUD13 million in the 12 months to March 2024.

EARLY BIRD MEMBERSHIP FOR 67 PALL MALL MELBOURNE AT AUD2,300 A YEAR

NEWS 30-4-2024

Scheduled to be opened mid-2025, membership application is already open with early bird rate starts from AUD2,300 a year, normal membership is AUD3500 per person.

GUESTBOOKS SIGNED BY CELEBRITIES TRUMPED BURGUNDIES TO BECOME TOP LOT IN LE GAVROCHE AUCTION

NEWS 29-4-2024

Guestbooks signed by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Freddie Mercury sold for £37,800 in Le Gavroche auction concluded last week, beating performance of top Burgundy wines.

VINEXPO ASIA WILL RETURN TO HONG KONG 28 - 30 MAY AFTER 6 YEARS

NEWS 25-4-2024

Vinexpo Asia is returning to Hong Kong from 28 to 30 May after a six-year absence in the Asian financial hub since 2018.

SUNTORY LAUNCHED KIMONO EDITION OF YAMAZAKI & HAKUSHU EXCLUSIVE FOR TRAVEL RETAIL

NEWS 23-4-2024

The collection is a limited edition and are available at RRP of USD205 per bottle at selected airports. The packaging are inspired by traditional Japanese costume the Kimono.

HONG KONG CONSUMER WATCHDOG CALLED FOR STRICTER BEER LABELLING RULES

NEWS 22-4-2024

Hong Kong's Consumer Council found that 6 of the 30 beer brands tested have a considerable discrepancy between their advertised alcohol content and their actual levels.

WHISKYSTATS: JAPANESE BRANDS TOPPED VALUE-LOSING CHART AS WHISKY MARKET SHIFTS

NEWS 18-4-2024

Netherlands-based whisky data analysis company, Whiskystats, said in a recent report that the global whisky market is shifting and Japanese whiskies are quickly losing their values in auction market.

市場疲弱加庫存豐富    2023年波爾多期酒價格恐下調三成

FOCUS 17-4-2024

波爾多2023年份期酒品嚐活動展開之際，已經有評論認為，今年的期酒發布價格不太可能有明顯升幅，原因是眼下的二手市場非常疲弱，市場上有充裕的波爾多庫存，買家選擇很多，更有酒商認為價格應低於去年約三成。

FIRST TRANCHE OF PIERRE CHEN’S WINE SALES TOPPED SOTHEBY’S WINE & SPIRITS AUCTIONS IN 2023

NEWS 16-4-2024

Asia was the leading market for Sotheby’s wine and spirits auctions, holding 42 percent of buyers, led by Hong Kong, which contributed USD22m.

HOUSE OF SUNTORY TOOK THE LEAD IN HONOURING NEW JAPANESE WHISKY STANDARDS

NEWS 10-4-2024

The owner of Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries announced that all of their exported whiskies are 100% compliant with the new standards as they officially took effect on 1 April.

SULA VINEYARDS ACQUIRES ND WINES TO EXPAND WINE TOURISM FOOTPRINT

NEWS 9-4-2024

The Rs140 million (USD1.7m) acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of this month, CEO Rajeev Samant said ND Wines presents a great opportunity for Sula to expand wine tourism footprint.

CHATEAU MERCIAN & CONCHA Y TORO COLLABORATED IN WINEMAKING & DISTRIBUTION

NEWS 8-4-2024

The first wine developed by the two companies, Iwade Koshu Amicis 2023, was launched in Japan last week. Château Mercian plans to sell this wine to Singapore through Concha Y Toro's distribution network.

HITEJINRO RECLAIMED KOREA TOP BEER SELLER POSITION WITH KELLY AND TERRA BRANDS

NEWS 4-4-2024

Kelly has exceeded 360 million bottles in sales within one year of its release while Terra achieved sales of 3.6 billion bottles four years after launch.

PENFOLDS PRICE HIKES AND ORDER RETURNS, IMMEDIATE IMPACTS AS CHINA TARIFF ENDS

NEWS 3-4-2024

Leading Australian producer Treasury Wine Estates announced price increase for Penfolds from 1 July, while Randall Wine Group has received an order for 156,000 bottles just hours after tariffs were lifted.

SPARKLING SAKE RECALLED IN ASIA FOR RED YEAST RICE WHICH CAUSED 5 DEATHS IN JAPAN

NEWS 2-4-2024

Mio Sparkling Sake Premium Rosé has been recalled in Japan, Singapore and Macau because it contains red yeast rice which has caused at least 5 deaths and 157 hospitalisations in Japan.

CHINA TO LIFT PUNITIVE TARIFFS ON AUSSIE WINES EFFECTIVE FROM TOMORROW

NEWS 28-3-2024

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese welcomed this long awaited decision from China and said it will benefit the country's wine industry at this critical time.

TOKYO RESTAURANTS CLAIMED TOP 2 SPOTS IN ASIA’S 50 BEST RESTAURANTS AWARDS 2024

NEWS 27-3-2024

Tokyo restaurants Sézanne and Floriege, both serve French cuisine, were named top and second best restaurants in the whole of Asia in a ceremony held in Seoul last night.

S. KOREAN HOSPITALITY GOT LEGAL PERMISSION TO SERVE LIQUOR BY THE GLASS

NEWS 25-3-2024

Restaurants in South Korea will be legally allowed to serve liquor by the glass starting next month in a significant shift in alcohol sales regulations.

DIAGEO REOPENED LEGENDARY GHOST DISTILLERY PORT ELLEN ON ISLAND OF ISLAY

NEWS 21-3-2024

Global drinks giant Diageo has announced that Port Ellen Distillery on the island of Islay in Scotland has reopened more than 40 years after its doors were closed.

CHINA FM: WINE DISPUTE WITH AUSTRALIA “RESOLVED”, FINAL RULING AT END OF MONTH

NEWS 20-3-2024

Wang Yi has given the most affirmative comment so far, he said the wine dispute with Australia has been "appropriately resolved" and announcement will be made at end of this month.

史無前例的太空用餐體驗     入場費49.5萬美元

FOCUS 19-3-2024

美國SpaceVIP及Space Perspective公司，將連同丹麥哥本哈根Alchemist餐廳的主廚Rasmus Munk，在浩瀚的太空中打造豪華的用餐體驗。這次太空旅程預計2025年底成行，座位只有6個，入場券49.5萬美元。

MOUTAI LAUNCHED SPARKLING RANGE WITH NO BAIJIU TO WOO YOUNG CONSUMERS

NEWS 18-3-2024

Branded as UMEET Blueberry Sparkling, the bubbly does not contain any baijiu, instead its 6 percent alcohol came from a spirit distilled from a base wine fermented from blueberries.

S. KOREAN YOUNG CONSUMERS EMBRACED TEQUILA AS WHISKY FALLS OUT OF FAVOUR

NEWS 15-3-2024

South Korea’s tequila imports increased 96.2% in 2022 and 10.4% in 2023 as young consumers diversified their choice of cocktails.

INDIA: FREE TRADE DEAL WITH EFTA WILL HELP BOOST DOMESTIC WINE INDUSTRY

NEWS 12-3-2024

India's alcoholic drinks industry believed that the newly concluded free trade deal with European Free Trade Association will help boost India’s domestic wine industry.

澳洲成立專責組處理葡萄酒供應過剩     有分析稱須拔藤兩萬公頃

FOCUS 11-3-2024

受全球市場對葡萄酒需求減少，以及2020年中國對澳洲葡萄酒實行反傾銷懲罰性關稅的影響，澳洲葡萄酒過剩問題日益嚴重，葡萄酒業面對嚴重的財政壓力，澳洲農業部在3月8宣布成立特別工作小組，專責處理此次危機。

KWEICHOW MOUTAI & WULIANGYE MOST VALUABLE OF ALL CHINESE BRANDS IN 2023

NEWS 7-3-2024

Chinese baijiu brands Kweichow Moutai and Wuliangye were named the top two most valuable of all brands in China in 2023.

JAPAN PUBLISHED FIRST EVER GUIDANCE FOR HEALTHY DRINKING

NEWS 5-3-2024

Issued by the Ministry of health, labour and welfare, the guidance recommended a daily limit of 40g of alcohol for men and 20g for women.

S. KOREA: SHINSEGAE & LOTTE SUSPENDED WHISKY DISTILLERY PLANS AMID PLUMMETING DEMAND

NEWS 4-3-2024

South Korean retail giants Shinsegae and Lotte have halted their plans to build whisky distilleries locally as demand for whisky slowed substantially after soaring for three years.

THE MACALLAN LAUNCHED COLOUR COLLECTION AT GLOBAL AIRPORTS

NEWS 29-2-2024

The Macallan has launched the Colour Collection globally in travel retail locations, recommended retail price ranges from USD80 to 4,455 per bottle depending on the expression.

AUSSIE TRADE MINISTER EXPECTED WINE DISPUTE WITH CHINA TO END IN A FEW WEEKS

NEWS 27-2-2024

Don Farrell said he has spoken with his Chinese counterpart yesterday and the two sides were close to an agreement, raising hopes the punitive tariffs will end in “a few weeks’ time”.

PERNOD RICARD TO BUILD €200M DISTILLERY IN INDIA’S MAHARASHTRA STATE

NEWS 26-2-2024

Details of the project are still to be released, Pernod Ricard claimed it will be one of the largest distilleries in India, with a daily capacity of 60,000 litres of malt spirit.

西班牙酒莊6萬升葡萄酒被惡意傾瀉     損失估計200萬歐元

FOCUS 22-2-2024

西班牙Valladolid地區本月18日發生一宗案件，當日清晨時份，一名男子闖入位於Castillo de Duero小産區的Cepa 21酒莊，清空了三個裝有優質葡萄酒的發酵酒缸，容量超過6萬公升，陳年後零售價值約為200萬歐元。

WINE CELLAR & MEMORABILIA OF LE GAVROCHE UNDER THE HAMMER IN APRIL AUCTION

NEWS 20-2-2024

Top Burgundy, Bordeaux, vintage Champagne and more from the now closed legendary London restaurant will be up for grabs in an online auction by Christie's from 10 to 24 April.

DUTY FREE SALES IN HAINAN ISLAND HIT NEW RECORD DURING CHINESE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY

NEWS 19-2-2024

Shoppers visiting China's Hainan island spent a record RMB2.49 billion (USD346.2m) on duty free goods during the Chinese New Year holiday, representing a 60% increase over last year.

ASIA PAC & TURKIYE ONLY BRIGHT SPOTS FOR SCOTCH AMID GLOBAL MARKETS SLUMP LAST YEAR

NEWS 16-2-2024

Exports of Scotch whisky has declined 9.5% by value and 19% by volume in 2023, dragged by declines in almost all regional markets except Asia Pacific and Turkiye.

FRENCH WINE & SPIRIT EXPORTS SLUMPED 22% IN USA & 6% IN CHINA LAST YEAR

NEWS 14-2-2024

France saw a 6 percent decline in the total value of wine and spirit exports in 2023 dragged by a 22 percent slump in export value to the USA and a 6 percent drop to China.

S'PORE PRIVATE WINE CLUB SHUT DOWN AMID TIGHT MONEY-LAUNDERING CONTROLS

NEWS 13-2-2024

A private wine club in Singapore popular with ultra-rich residents from China has quietly shut down as rich people in the city-state opted to avoid displays of wealth.

S. KOREA ANNOUNCED PLANS TO NURTURE 100 MICHELIN-STARRED K-FOOD VENUES WORLDWIDE

NEWS 8-2-2024

Seoul wants to boost global market value of Korean food to USD227 billion by 2027 and wants to see K-food leads global gastronomic mega-trends like K-pop did.

FREE TRADE TALKS: INDIA ALCOHOL INDUSTRY REQUESTED UK TO LOWER WHISKY MATURATION STANDARD

NEWS 7-2-2024

India's alcohol industry is prepared to accept further tariff concessions to Scotch whisky imported in barrels but requested the UK to remove the minimum requirement of 3 years maturation for whisky.

DFS OPENS 1st WINES & SPIRITS MULTI-BOUTIQUE IN MACAU FEATURING 140 BRANDS

NEWS 6-2-2024

The wines & spirits multi-boutique is a new concept featuring more than 140 brands including The Macallan, The Dalmore, Hennessy and Penfolds.

HONG KONG DEFIES GRAVITY IMPORTED 74% MORE AUSSIE WINES IN 2023

NEWS 5-2-2024

Hong Kong was the only major export market to have seen meaningful growth in 2023, import value grew 74 percent, amid an overall decline of 2 percent in Australian wines' export value.

THE MACALLAN RELEASED 344 DECANTERS OF 1949 WHISKY TO MARK 200th ANNIVERSARY

NEWS 1-2-2024

Called Tales of The Macallan Volume II with a price tag of £77,391 each, the Lalique decanter is secreted in an 852-page book depicting Macallan founder Alexander Reid’s journey.

JAPANESE BEERS REGAINED POPULARITY IN S. KOREA AFTER YEARS OF BOYCOTT

NEWS 30-1-2024

Korean customs data showed that USD55.5 million worth of Japanese beers was imported in 2023, almost ten times the value achieved in 2020 at the height of the boycott.

巴黎傳奇血鴨餐廳名酒失竊     損失超過150萬歐元

FOCUS 29-1-2024

以法國名菜血鴨（Canard au sang） 聞名的巴黎 La Tour d’Argent 餐廳，近日在例行庫存檢查中，發現酒窖內30萬瓶藏酒中，有數十瓶離奇消失，包括名貴的勃艮第Domaine de la Romanée-Conti，總價值超過150萬歐元。

REPORT: SAUDI ARABIA TO OPEN FIRST EVER ALCOHOL SHOP FOR NON-MUSLIM DIPLOMATS

NEWS 25-1-2024

Reports said the ground-breaking alcohol store is expected to open in the coming weeks in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter, and will serve exclusively non-Muslim diplomats.

67 PALL MALL OFFERS EN PRIMEUR MEMBERSHIP STARTING FROM HONG KONG

NEWS 24-1-2024

Priced at HKD15,000 (USD2,000) a year, the new membership category allows access to 67 Pall Mall’s six venues worldwide as well as exclusive local wine events.

THAI RESTAURANTEURS LOBBIED PM TO SCRAP AFTERNOON ALCOHOL BAN ALTOGETHER

NEWS 23-1-2024

Thailand restauranteurs have written to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to propose lifting the 5-decade-long alcohol sales ban in the afternoon altogether to help tourism.

MOUTAI & LUCKIN COLLABORATED AGAIN TO LAUNCH LIQUOR CHOCOLATE DRINK

NEWS 22-1-2024

The alcoholic beverage is to mark the arrival of the Year of the Dragon next month. It is priced at RMB38, discounted to RMB18 today on first day of sales.

HARRODS' PRIVATE MEMBERS' CLUB IN SHANGHAI OFFERS RANGE OF PREMIUM SPIRITS

NEWS 18-1-2024

Costs RMB150,0000 a year, Harrods' first ever exclusive club offers premium spirits, exclusive dinning experience in Gordon Ramsay's only restaurant in China and many more.

A BOTTLE OF IRISH WHISKEY WAS SOLD FOR USD2.8M, BEATING RECORD SET BY MACALLAN 1926

NEWS 16-1-2024

A bottle of The Emerald Isle whiskey was reported to have been sold for USD2.8m, surpassing the USD2.7m achieved by a bottle of Macallan 1926 sold last November in an auction.

HONG KONG BUSTED USD63M RECORD HAUL OF LIQUID COCAINE DISGUISED AS WHITE WINE

NEWS 15-1-2024

Weighing 444kg and hidden inside a cargo declared to be wine and grape juice, the bust is the largest in both value and weight recorded in Hong Kong over two decades.

CLOTHING BRAND SUPERDRY SUED MAN CITY FOR ASAHI SUPER "DRY" LOGO ON TRAINING KIT

NEWS 11-1-2024

The law firm acting on behalf of Superdry claimed that the public may confuse the branding on Manchester City's training kit as something created by Superdry.

COCA-COLA ENTERS INDIA'S ALCOHOLIC DRINKS MARKET WITH A JAPANESE SHOCHU COCKTAIL

NEWS 10-1-2024

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is making an entry into the alcoholic beverage market in India by introducing Lemon-Dou, a Japanese Chuhai which is a shochu cocktail.

WYNN MACAU TO HOST AWARDS FOR CHINESE WINES FEATURING INTERNATIONAL JUDGES

NEWS 9-1-2024

Chinese wineries entering the competition will compete for the Wynn Signature Best Wine of China Trophy and 27 other categories championing the excellence of major varietal and regional expressions.

VISITORS BEWARE: S. KOREA STARTED ALCOHOL BAN IN DESIGNATED ZONES

NEWS 8-1-2024

Many local authorities in South Korea started banning alcohol consumption in designated public areas from New Year’s day, with fines of up to WON100,000 (USD76).

INDIA: NASHIK WINE REGION ATTRACTED 25% MORE TOURISTS OVER THE FESTIVE SEASON

NEWS 4-1-2024

Some 100,000 tourists visited India’s Nashik wine region in the last two months of 2023, representing an increase of 25 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

CHINA: NINGXIA WINE REGION'S OUTPUT VALUE REACHED RMB40B LAST YEAR

NEWS 3-1-2024

China’s Ningxia wine region has produced 140 million bottles of wines worth RMB40 billion (USD563.4 million) in 2023, according to latest government data.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION: THAILAND CUTS ALCOHOL TAX TO BOOST TOURISM

NEWS 2-1-2024