The Wine Chronicle《品醇集》

EU SPIRITS EXPORT TO JAPAN DECLINED 43% IN 2020, TO CHINA FELL 10%

NEWS 30-6-2021

In its “Trade Review 2021”, trade body Spirits Europe said 2020 had been challenging for the industry due to on-trade closures and travel restrictions because of the pandemic.

DUTCH BREWER HEINEKEN ACQUIRED CONTROLLING STAKE IN INDIA’S BIGGEST BREWER UBL

NEWS 29-6-2021

Heineken NV, the world's second largest beer maker, has taken control of India's largest brewer United Breweries Limited (UBL).

FINAL DECISION: NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED IN OLYMPIC VENUES, ASAHI’S EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN VAIN

NEWS 28-6-2021

To the dismay of drinks giant Asahi Group, the organisers of the Tokyo Olympics announced that no alcohol sales will be allowed in Olympic venues.

RHONE WINES’ MARKETING BOARD TO OPEN REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN SHANGHAI

NEWS 25-6-2021

Inter-Rhone said they are planning to open a representative office in Shanghai at the end of the year to relaunch its promotional activities in the Chinese market.

史上最老　陳年80載威士忌九月上市

FOCUS 24-6-2021

蘇格蘭威士忌迷要留意了，有史以來陳年時間最長的單一麥芽蘇格蘭威士忌，將會在今年九月發布上市，由於數量只有250瓶，想要購入的話真的要花點功夫籌備。

SOTHEBY’S SOLD 24 BOTTLES OF KWEICHOW MOUTAI FOR £1M IN LONDON TO AN ASIAN COLLECTOR

NEWS 22-6-2021

The hammer price is five times the pre-sale low estimate and is the highest price achieved at auction for a single lot of Moutai outside of China.

AUSTRALIA FILED A COMPLAINT TO WTO OVER CHINA’S ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON AUSSIE WINES

NEWS 21-6-2021

Australia filed a complaint to World Trade Organisation (WTO) last Saturday over China’s anti-dumping duties on the country’s wine exports.

TAIWAN KAVALAN’S SINGLE MALT WAS CROWNED “BEST OF BEST” IN 2021 TOKYO WHISKY COMPETITION

NEWS 18-6-2021

Kavalan's 10th Anniversary Sky Gold Wine Cask Matured Single Cask Single Malt Whisky has just been named “Best of the Best” single malt by the 2021 Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition.

S.KOREA: DUTY-FREE BOOZE SHOPPING IS TOP ATTRACTION FOR FLIGHTS TO NOWHERE PASSENGERS

NEWS 17-6-2021

Some 16,000 passengers have taken flights to nowhere in South Korea. Many did it for duty-free shopping and a total of USD200 million have been spent on booze.

AN ASIAN BUYER BOUGHT 2013 DOMAINE LEROY MUSIGNY AT RECORD PRICE

NEWS 16-6-2021

The 3-bottle case achieved a record price of USD142,000, approximately USD47,333 per bottle, representing a 123 percent increase on the current average auction price.

CHINA CRACKED DOWN ON TWO INDUSTRIAL SCALE FAKE WINES & SPIRIT GANGS

NEWS 15-6-2021

In an operation spanning 8 provinces, police seized RMB 200 million worth of fake branded wines and spirits. Some 60 suspects were arrested and 5 production lines destroyed.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION LIKELY TO BE BANNED IN PUBLIC AREAS IN TOKYO OLYMPIC VILLAGE

NEWS 14-6-2021

Only six weeks before the Tokyo Olympics opens, it’s still unsure if alcohol will be allowed in the Olympic Village which will house the athletes, Japanese media reported.

多國合作偵破跨國犯毒集團    竟搜出兩套完整的 Penfolds Grange　

NEWS 11-6-2021

美國、澳洲及歐洲警方，聯手破獲一個犯毒集團，一共逮捕了800多人，並繳獲了兩套全套 Penfolds Grange，每套價值約 40 萬美元。

LUXURY COGNAC BRAND LOUIS XIII OPENS FIRST S.E. ASIA FLAGSHIP STORE IN SINGAPORE

NEWS 10-6-2021

Remy Cointreau owned luxury cognac brand Louis XIII opened its first flagship store in South-east Asia on the ground floor of One Raffles Place in Singapore.

COCA COLA LAUNCHED FIRST HARD SELTZER TOPO CHICO IN CHINA

NEWS 9-6-2021

The Coca-Cola Company has launched its first hard setlzer in China, Topo Chico. This is Coca-Cola's breakthrough attempt to enter the Chinese alcoholic beverage market.

THE MACALLAN PRESENTS “THE ANECDOTES OF AGES” COLLECTION TO HONG KONG

NEWS 8-6-2021

The Macallan presents “The Anecdotes of Ages Collection”, a limited-release whisky and art collaboration with British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, in Hong Kong.

JAPAN’S ASAHI STILL UNSURE IF THEY CAN SELL DRINKS TO OLYMPICS AUDIENCE DESPITE HAVING EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS

NEWS 7-6-2021

Japanese drinks giant Asahi, which has won exclusive rights to sell beer and wine in the stadiums, is still uncertain if fans will be allowed in.

IWSR: GLOBAL ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION TO RETURN TO PRE-COVID LEVEL BY 2023

NEWS 4-6-2021

Global drinks research think tank IWSR expects global beverage alcohol consumption to return to pre-Covid levels by 2023 and will continue to grow through 2025.

BRAND FINANCE: CHINESE BAIJIU BRANDS DROVE VALUE GROWTH IN WORLD’S TOP 50 SPIRIT BRANDS

NEWS 3-6-2021

The value of the world’s top 50 spirit brands increased by 5 percent to USD135.9bn in the 2021, thanks to the increase in values of top Chinese baijiu brands.

CHINA IS CHILEAN WINE’S TOP EXPORT MARKET, SHIPMENT GREW 17.3% IN Q1 2021

NEWS 2-6-2021

According to the latest reports from Vinos de Chile, Chilean wine exports to China grew by 17.3 percent by volume and 15.5 percent by revenue in the first quarter of 2021.

PREPARATION FOR PROWINE SHANGHAI 2021 IS IN FULL SWING WITH HIGH EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION

NEWS 1-6-2021

The organiser of ProWine Shanghai 2021 said preparation for the show is in full swing with high exhibitor registration and high space demand from international exhibitors.

AUSSIE MEDIA: CANBERRA WILL HIGHLY LIKELY TAKE BEIJING TO WTO OVER WINE TARIFFS

NEWS 31-5-2021

Aussie media said Australian government will highly likely launch World Trade Organisation action against Beijing over wine tariffs after consultation with wine exporters.

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT IS SPEEDING UP GRANTING G.I. STATUS TO SAKES TO HELP EXPORT

NEWS 26-5-2021

Japan’s National Tax Agency granted Geographical Indication (GI) status to Yamanashi sake, the 9th so far, and the 3rd just in this year.

酒單迷思：第二平宜酒款真的標價最為進取嗎？

NEWS 25-5-2021

很多消費者在餐廳點酒時，經常會點酒單上第二平宜的酒款，據說餐廳經營者了解到顧客這心理，經常會將酒單上第二平宜的葡萄酒售價標高，以賺取最高的利潤。美國一項研究結果顯示，這說法並不準確。

HONG KONG WINE IMPORTS SAW DOUBLE-DIGIT DECLINE TWO YEARS IN A ROW

NEWS 24-5-2021

Hong Kong's wine imports fell by 14.7% in value in 2020 due to the pandemic, after a decline of 26.4% in 2019 in the midst of social unrest.

ENGLISH SPARKLING WINE NYETIMBER LAUNCHED HIGH TEA EXPERIENCE IN SHANGRI-LA SINGAPORE

NEWS 21-5-2021

Leading English sparkling wine brand Nyetimber has teamed up with Singapore luxury hotel Shangri -La Singapore to launch a Nyetimber high tea experience.

THAILAND POLICE ARRESTED 20 PEOPLE FOR VIOLATING ALCOHOL BAN IN RESTAURANT

NEWS 19-5-2021

Police in Pattaya of Thailand arrested 20 people at a local restaurant where alcohol was reportedly being sold.

HONG KONG BUDGET AUCTIONEER MADISON ACHIEVED HKD18M SALES IN MAY AUCTION

NEWS 18-5-2021

Hong Kong’s home grown auctioneer Madison Auction realised a sales value of above HKD18 million (USD2.4m) in their 2021 May wine auction held last Saturday.

JAPAN’S BAN ON SERVING ALCOHOL NOW COVERS 70% POPULATION AS STATE OF EMERGENCY WIDENED

NEWS 17-5-2021

Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima joined Tokyo, Osaka and four other prefectures from yesterday under a state of emergency where on-premise alcohol is banned.

SINGAPORE TO BAN ON-PREMISE DINING AND DRINKING IN NEW LOCKDOWN MEASURES

NEWS 14-5-2021

Singapore announced today a fresh round of lockdown measures including banning on-premise service in restaurants and pubs, amid a rise in confirmed COVID cases.

Q1 2021: CONCHA Y TORO’S SALES GREW 128% IN CHINA & 266% IN S. KOREA

NEWS 13-5-2021

Leading Chilean wine producer Concha y Toro's sales in China grew 128 percent in first quarter of 2021, while in South Korean market, sales grew 266 percent.

2020年波爾多期酒質素理想　   開價或跟去年相若

FOCUS 12-5-2021

國際酒評人對2020年波爾多期酒的質素滿意，認為酒體結構非常良好，而且果味集中度很高。他們亦估計，2020年波爾多期酒的開價會跟去年相若，減價三成速銷的景象或不會重現。

IWSR: RESILIENCE IN CHINA AND USA HAS HELPED DRINK GIANTS MITIGATE LOSSES

NEWS 11-5-2021

Resilience in the Chinese and USA markets has helped world’s biggest drinks firms mitigate losses incurred by the pandemic, according to a report by IWSR.

INDIA PREPARED TO CUT WINE & SPIRITS TARIFFS FOR EU WHEN FREE TRADE TALKS RESUME

NEWS 10-5-2021

As India and EU agreed to resume free trade talks after 8 years, Indian media reported that India is prepared to lower duties on EU wines and spirits.

HONG KONG’S COA WAS CROWNED ASIA’S BEST BAR 2021

NEWS 7-5-2021

Coa of Hong Kong has been crowned Asia’s Best Bar 2021 in a virtual awards ceremony of Asia’s 50 Best Bars held yesterday.

佳士得將出售一瓶太空Petrus 2000   　估計售價100萬美元

FOCUS 5-5-2021

國際拍賣行佳士得宣布，將通過私人銷售方式，出售一瓶曾經在國際太空站逗留14個月的Petrus 2000，估計售價約為100萬美元，出售所得將會用於在太空進行農業科技研究。

SINGAPORE SCOTCH LOVERS INVITED TO TASTE VERY RARE AND SUPER-OLD PRODUCER’S COLLECTION

NEWS 4-5-2021

As William Grant & Sons trots out the best of their portfolio in Singapore, whisky lovers can taste the unique collection without flying off to Scotland.

AUSTRALIA HAS FALLEN BEHIND FRANCE, CHILE, SPAIN AND ITALY IN CHINA MARKET IN Q1 2021

NEWS 2-5-2021

Australia’s bottled wine exports to China has fallen behind France, Chile, Spain and Italy in the first quarter of 2021, according to latest Chinese customs data.