The Wine Chronicle 《品醇集》

COVID UPDATE: VINEXPO HK MOVED TO 2021, THAI DRINKS TRADE LOBBIED TO END ALCOHOL BAN, AUSTRALIA BOOZE RATION LIFTED

NEWS 29-4-2020

Check out for our update on the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the wine and spirits trade in Asia Pacific.

SINGAPORE DRINKS DISTRIBUTOR TO BUY BUZZ CHAIN FROM OWNER OF STRAITS TIMES

NEWS 28-4-2020

Singapore-based wine and spirits distributor, Thai-Pore Enterprise, is to take over the Buzz convenience stores chain from Singapore Press Holdings for an undisclosed sum.

OIV WINE DATA: WORLD PRODUCTION DROPPED 11% & CHINA 10% , PRICES TO FALL ON COVID-19

NEWS 27-4-2020

World wine production dropped 11% in 2019, while China’s dropped 10%, yet prices will drop due to COVID-19, according to intergovernmental organisation OIV .

FOCUS 24-4-2020

新冠疫情令全球葡萄酒需求疲弱，估計歐洲去年收成的葡萄酒，將有約十億公升無法賣出，在九月份葡萄成熟前，這些過剩產量，或可能會淪為蒸餾原料，用作生產工業酒精，以騰出儲存空間。

ACADEMIC: WORLD’S OLDEST EVIDENCE OF GRAPE WINE IS IN CHINA DATES BACK 9000 YRS

NEWS 22-4-2020

According to Sinologist Prof Peter Kupfer, a Neolithic site in Jiahu in China’s Henan province is home to world's earliest evidence of making fermented drinks from grapes.

SURVEY: 41% CHINESE CONSUMERS DRANK LESS OR NO ALCOHOL DURING VIRUS OUTBREAK

NEWS 21-4-2020

A consumer survey conducted by McKinsey showed that 41% of Chinese consumers dranks less or no alcohol during COVID-19 crisis while 29% said they had consumed more.

COVID UPDATE: INDIAN LIQUOR SHOPS STAY SHUT, TIGER BEER SUPPORTS ASIAN ON-TRADE, CHENGDU WINE SHOW DELAYED AGAIN

NEWS 20-4-2020

Check out for our latest report on the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the Asian wine and spirits trade.

HK CUSTOMS ARRESTED COUPLE FOR SELLING IMPORTED GIN AS "HONG KONG'S FIRST GIN"

NEWS 16-4-2020

A New Zealand man and his girlfriend were arrested for claiming an imported gin as “the first ever gin made in Hong Kong" and "small batch distilled rare dry gin".

TWO INDIAN STATE GOVERNMENTS REOPENED LIQUOR SHOPS TO STEM BOOTLEG & GREY MARKET

NEWS 15-4-2020

Liquor shops in India’s Assam and Meghalaya States are allowed to reopen despite the national lockdown to stem the growth of grey market and bootleg alcohol.

TWE REGISTERED PENFOLDS TRADEMARK IN CHINA AHEAD OF DEMERGER PLAN

NEWS 14-4-2020

Treasury Wine Estates, owner of the Penfolds brand which is planning to demerge the brand, announced that it has registered 奔富 as Penfolds' Chinese trademark.

FOCUS 13-4-2020

近幾年歐洲興起一股顏色葡萄酒浪潮，在傳統的紅、白與桃紅之外，消費者可選擇藍、橙甚至綠色的葡萄酒，這些顏色酒的釀製方法不盡相同，筆者認為在苦悶的抗疫閉關期間買來一試也是不錯的選擇。

COVID UPDATE: TOKYO RESTRICTS ON-TRADE HOURS, BANGKOK BANS ALCOHOL SALE, SINGAPORE BANS ON-PREMISE SERVICES

NEWS 10-4-2020

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit Asian cities' hospitality sector with stricter social distancing measures being introduced in Tokyo, Bangkok and Singapore.

INDIAN WINERIES CRUSHED TABLE GRAPES DUE TO BAD HARVESTS AND TO HELP FARMERS

NEWS 8-4-2020

Wineries in Nashik, India’s major wine region, have started to crush table grapes to make wines due to a bad harvest and to help farmers affected by the lockdown.

TRADE DATA: CHINA’S WINE IMPORTS DROPPED 30% IN JANUARY & FEBRUARY

NEWS 7-4-2020

Latest statistics showed that China's wine and spirits imports saw double digit decline in January and February this year during the peak of COVID-19 outbreak.

PERNOD RICARD AND BEAM SUNTORY HELP INDIA AND SPAIN BOOST MEDICAL FACILITIES

NEWS 6-4-2020

French-owned drinks giant Pernod Ricard and Japanese-owned Beam Suntory have pledged donations to boost healthcare facilities in India and Spain to fight the pandemic.

COVID UPDATE: HK SHUTS BARS, THAI PROVINCE BANS ALCOHOL, AUSTRALIA RATIONS BOOZE

NEWS 3-4-2020

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt markets in Asia Pacific. Hong Kong shuts bars and pubs, a Thai province bans alcohol sale while Aussie retailers ration booze.

INDIAN MAN ARRESTED FOR FAKE GOV’T ORDER ALLOWING LIQUOR SHOPS TO OPEN AMID LOCKDOWN

NEWS 1-4-2020

Hyderabad Police arrested a man for faking a government order which stated that liquor shops could open from last Sunday despite of the national lockdown.

"SAKE BLOCKCHAIN" TO COMBAT COUNTERFEITS TO ROLL OUT IN HK AND SINGAPORE

NEWS 31-3-2020

"Sake Blockchain" will be rolled out in Hong Kong and Singapore to combat counterfeit Sake products, according to a report by the Nikkei Asian Review.

HAKUSHU SINGLE MALT 25YO DECLARED WORLD’S BEST SINGLE MALT 2020

NEWS 30-3-2020

Japanese distillery Hakushu’s Single Malt 25 YO was declared World’s Best Single Malt 2020 by Whisky Magazine.

UPDATE: PROWINE S’PORE MOVED TO 2021, CHENGDU WINE FAIR IN MAY, HK DROPPED ON-TRADE ALCOHOL BAN

NEWS 27-3-2020

ProWine Asia (Singapore) will be moved to March 2021. China’s Chengdu wine and spirits fair will take place in May 2020. Hong Kong on-trade can continue to sell alcohol.

SINGAPORE SHUTS BARS WHILE HONG KONG PLANS TO BAN ON-TRADE ALCOHOL SALE

NEWS 25-3-2020

Facing the threat of a second wave of COVID-19 spread, both Singapore and Hong Kong have tightened social distancing measures with direct impacts on hospitality sector.

WINES SELLING WELL IN WOMEN’S DAY E-COMMERCE CAMPAIGN AMID LOCKDOWN IN CHINA

NEWS 24-3-2020

E-commerce giant Alibaba’s Tmall platform sold 120,000 bottles of dry wines during International Women’s Day promotion campaign despite COVID-19 lockdown.

THIS KARUIZAWA 52YO IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF JAPANESE WHISKY AT USD435,273

NEWS 23-3-2020

A bottle of Karuizawa 52 YO 1960 was sold for £363,000 (USD435,273) in Sotheby’s London auction and became the most expensive Japanese whisky ever sold.

BULK WINE SHOW WBWE ASIA POSTPONED TO 12 & 13 JULY

NEWS 19-3-2020

Organiser of WBWE Asia, to be held in the Chinese city of Yantai, has announced that this year’s show will be postponed from May to 12 and 13 July.

FOCUS 18-3-2020

美國三藩市一間初創公司，以合成方法調製了味道近似威士忌、白葡萄酒及日本清酒的分子 (molecular) 酒精飲品，由於標榜低碳，據報獲得千禧代接受，並已經初步打開了市場。

67 PALL MALL SINGAPORE ACCEPTING MEMBERSHIPS NOW

NEWS 17-3-2020

London private member club 67 Pall Mall’s Singapore outpost, scheduled to open in Autumn, is now accepting memberships for a monthly fee of S$200 for Singapore resident.

JAPAN’S BEER SALES INCREASED IN FEBRUARY AMID SPREAD OF COVID-19

NEWS 16-3-2020

NHK reported that February sales of Kirin Brewery rose 3 percent, Sapporo increased 2 percent while Asahi’s sales value rose by 4 percent despite spread of COVID-19.

WINE FAIR TO ALLOW SINGAPORE CONSUMERS TO TASTE JAPANESE WINES

NEWS 12-3-2020

Guests can taste five carefully selected wines sourced from the Yamanashi and Yamagata Prefectures in Japan Premium Wine Fair to take place from 2 to 31 March in Singapore.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES WON TOP PRIZE FOR INFLIGHT WINE LIST

NEWS 11-3-2020

Airlines in the Asia Pacific snapped up all top prizes at the Cellars in the Sky Awards 2019, with Malaysia Airlines taking the Gold medal for Best Overall Cellar.

S.KOREA RETAILER: WINE SALES INCREASED AT THE HEIGHT OF COVID-19 OUTBREAK

NEWS 10-3-2020

Wine sales had surprisingly risen for 5.2% in South Korea’s biggest retailer, the Shinsegae Group, at the height of COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

INDIA’S SULA VINEYARDS TO EXPORT WINES TO AUSTRALIA

NEWS 9-3-2020

India’s leading wine producer Sula Vineyards has partnered with Kismet Trading as their distributor in Adelaide with plans to expand to Melbourne and Sydney.

TFWA SINGAPORE AND PROWEIN DUSSELDORF 2020 CANCELLED

NEWS 6-3-2020

Duty free and travel retail show TFWA Singapore 2020 is cancelled while ProWein Dusseldorf will only come back next March.

AUSSIE FORECASTER: COVID-19 TO CAUSE SHORT TERM IMPACT ON WINE EXPORTS TO CHINA

NEWS 4-3-2020

COVID-19 will reduce Australian wine exports to China in the short term but growth will sustain over the medium term, said Australia’s national commodity forecaster.

FOCUS 3-3-2020

德國葡萄酒協會近日表示，由於今個冬季德國氣温異常和暖，2019年極有可能是該國首個沒有冰酒生產的年份。

VINEXPO HONG KONG 2020 RESCHEDULED TO 8-10 JULY

NEWS 2-3-2020

The French organiser of Vinexpo Hong Kong announced that this year’s show will be rescheduled from May to 8-10 July after considering exhibitors' feedback.