I’m pleased to share the first episode of my podcast, Verre l’Asie, in which I interview Lionel Le Gal, a leading expert on the Chinese market. He gives us a candid, no-nonsense view of the market today.

Watch it here

Thanks to our Sponsor:

Wanty is a French-Chinese agency based in Lyon, specializing in marketing, communications, and brand development between Europe and China. Since 2019, it has supported French SMEs and brands in preparing for and expanding their presence in the Chinese market.

www.wanty.net

1. China: more than 30% of wine importers may have disappeared

Industry estimates suggest that the number of Chinese wine importers has fallen by approximately 30% over the past seven years.

The president of the Shenzhen Wine Industry Association believes the number has declined by at least one-third since 2019 and possibly by close to half. These are informed industry estimates rather than an official national count, but several trade organisations and merchants describe the same consolidation.

Customs figures reinforce the picture. Chinese imports of bottled wine from the European Union fell 16.6% by volume during the first half of 2026. Their value declined by a smaller 7.9% to US$251 million.

Volumes from Spain fell 24.9%, followed by Italy at 17.7% and France at 14.3%.

The shakeout is being driven by weaker demand, competition from bulk wine bottled locally and much greater price transparency. Importers can no longer rely on information gaps and very high mark-ups to finance their operations.

Commercial takeaway: appointing an importer is no longer enough. Producers need to assess whether a potential partner can sell through inventory, develop multiple channels and create repeat consumption.

Opportunities remain in white wine, personal drinking occasions, direct-to-consumer sales, e-commerce and clearly priced products. The old model of importing an unknown label and adding a large margin is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Sources: Vino Joy News — 28 August 2026 · Winesinfo/SCMP — 31 August 2026

2. Japan: Champagne continues to support premium growth

Pernod Ricard’s full-year results, released on 27 August, reported strong growth and market-share gains in Japan, driven in particular by Perrier-Jouët.

This is one company’s performance, not a measure of the entire Japanese market. It nevertheless provides another useful signal that recognised premium brands remain resilient when they are connected to established consumption occasions.

Japan became Asia’s largest wine importer in the first half of 2026, bringing in 110.54 million litres worth approximately US$757 million. Volume slipped by only 0.72%, while value increased by 5.8%.

Commercial takeaway: Japanese consumers are not necessarily buying more wine, but they are still willing to pay more for the right bottle.

Champagne, premium sparkling wine and labels with strong gastronomic legitimacy remain well positioned. Provenance alone is not sufficient, however. Consistency, service, distribution and the ability to connect a wine with Japanese food culture all matter.

Sources: Pernod Ricard — 27 August 2026 · The Wine Chronicle — 24 August 2026

3. South Korea: whisky is splitting between value and prestige

South Korea imported 10,658 tonnes of whisky between January and July 2026, down from 14,026 tonnes during the same period last year — a 24% decline.

Import value fell less sharply than physical volume. As a result, the implied average import value per tonne increased by approximately 10.6%.

This apparent contradiction reflects a sharply polarised consumer market.

At E-Mart, sales of whisky priced below KRW30,000 increased by 30% in 2025. Sales of bottles costing more than KRW200,000 rose by 28%.

Consumers are moving towards either:

• affordable whisky for highballs and more frequent occasions;

• premium single malts, limited releases and gift bottles.

The middle is being squeezed.

Commercial takeaway: whisky brands entering Korea need to make a clear choice. They can offer an accessible, mixable product with strong retail distribution, or deliver a genuinely differentiated premium bottle.

Being moderately expensive without offering scarcity, status or a compelling experience is no longer a convincing strategy.

Source: Vinetur — 25 August 2026

4. India: a soft-drinks giant moves into alcoholic RTDs

Varun Beverages, one of PepsiCo’s largest bottling partners, formally incorporated KIVA Spirits and Company Limited on 31 August.

Its board had approved the project on 25 August to enter ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages and related products.

KIVA will be led by Prathmesh Mishra, a former Diageo executive with leadership experience in India, Japan and South Korea.

The move matters because Varun Beverages already possesses the capabilities that can turn RTDs into a scaled category: high-volume production, bottling, route-to-market execution and extensive retail distribution.

Commercial takeaway: India’s next growth battle will not be limited to premium whisky.

Convenient, approachable and easy-to-understand alcoholic drinks could become an important recruitment category. The entry of a major non-alcoholic beverage operator suggests that RTDs are beginning to be viewed as a potentially scalable consumer business rather than a niche experiment.

Execution will remain complicated because alcohol regulation, taxation and distribution vary significantly between Indian states.

Sources: Varun Beverages — 31 August 2026 · Business Standard — 25 August 2026

5. Malaysia: Indian whisky moves from exporting to local production

Allied Blenders & Distillers has arranged local production of Officer’s Choice Blue in Malaysia through a co-bottling partnership.

It is the Indian group’s first international local-production agreement. ABD already exports its portfolio to 39 markets.

Officer’s Choice Blue will be offered in 9cl, 18cl and 75cl formats, allowing the company to address different price points and consumption occasions.

Local production can reduce logistics and landed costs, improve supply responsiveness and make it easier to adapt formats to local purchasing power.

ABD says Malaysia’s spirits segment could grow at a mid-teens rate in the coming years. That projection comes from the company rather than an independent market study, but it helps explain why ABD is entering through a fast, asset-light model.

Commercial takeaway: traditional exporting is not always the best route into Southeast Asia.

A local manufacturing or bottling partnership can improve pricing, availability and speed while limiting the producer’s initial investment. Selecting the right industrial and distribution partner therefore becomes as important as selecting the right liquid.

Sources: Global Drinks Intel — 28 August 2026 · The Economic Times — 24 August 2026

My Upcoming Activities

Both ProWine Shanghai (10–12 November 2026) and ProWine Mumbai (18–19 November 2026) are now fully booked.

Upcoming Trade Shows in 2027

• Japan Foodex 09-12 march 2027

• China Chengdu 22-24 march 2027

• ProWine Tokyo 13–15 April 2027

• ProWine Hong Kong 10–12 May 2027

• Vietnam wine & spirit expo 20-21 may 2027

• Vinexpo HK 08-10 june 2027

I represent and sell your range of wines, champagnes and spirits.

Contact me at jcl@vinifield.asia for more information.

Click here for more details.

To do now

✅ Share this newsletter with a fellow winegrower or négociant — it could open new opportunities for them.

✅ Subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive my best advice.

✅ Subscribe to my English-language newsletter, with more than 19,000 subscribers, the number one newsletter on Asia for market advice and analysis. Click here.

For those who want to go further

✅ My book: China & Business – The Secrets of Success

📢 Want visibility? Sponsor this newsletter

Contact me by email: jcl@vinifield.asia

Written by Jean-Charles Letellier



Founder of Vinifield

Vinifield is a commercial agency specialised in Asian markets:

1. Representation and sales at trade fairs

2. Organisation and support for commercial roadshows

3. Premium export support

1. China: lower wine volumes, higher-value purchases

Mainland China imported 101.35 million litres of wine in the first half of 2026, down 10.98% year on year. Yet import value edged up 0.83% to US$716.06 million.

June provided a stronger signal. Imports reached approximately 20 million litres, up 6%, while their value jumped 31% to US$162 million.

The same divergence can be seen in spirits. In July, total spirits import value rose 39.03% year on year. Brandy value increased 62.46%, while whisky rose 47.24%.

China is therefore not returning to its old volume-driven model. Corporate entertaining and gifting have weakened, bulk-wine demand has contracted, and consumers remain highly price-conscious. At the same time, import demand is becoming more concentrated around recognisable, higher-value products.

Commercial takeaway: brands need to combine premium cues with a credible price-to-quality proposition. Strong distribution across restaurants, modern retail, e-commerce and on-demand delivery may now matter as much as provenance alone.

Sources: Vino Joy News — 25 August 2026 · Vinetur — 17 August 2026 · WBO — 21 August 2026

2. Japan becomes Asia’s largest wine importer

Japan overtook mainland China in both wine import volume and value during the first half of 2026.

It imported 110.54 million litres worth approximately US$757 million. Volume slipped by just 0.72%, while value rose 5.8%.

Sparkling wine is particularly significant. Japan imported JPY50.92 billion worth of sparkling wine during the period, compared with JPY65.33 billion for bottled still wine. Champagne and other premium sparkling wines now represent an unusually large share of the country’s import market.

Tourism and hospitality are supporting this demand. International visitors spent JPY2.51 trillion in Japan in the second quarter, while average spending per traveller rose 3.3%.

Commercial takeaway: Japan is a mature market in which reliability, food pairing, distribution quality and brand credibility matter more than novelty alone. Premium sparkling wines and labels that can work across restaurants, hotels and specialist retail remain especially well positioned.

Sources: The Wine Chronicle — 24 August 2026 · Vino Joy News — 25 August 2026

3. South Korea: people are drinking less, but the occasions are diversifying

South Korea’s domestic alcohol shipments fell to 2.988 million kilolitres in 2025, their lowest level since 1998. Shipments are now 21.5% below their 2015 level.

Beer shipments declined 7.2% year on year, while diluted soju fell below 800,000 kilolitres for the first time.

The more revealing numbers concern drinking occasions. Convenience-store purchases were identified as an important trend by 85.5% of surveyed consumers. Drinking at home was cited by 54.2%, drinking alone by 52.2%, and seeking a wider variety of flavours by 49.1%.

Wine reflects this more fragmented market. First-half import volume declined 3.18%, but value still increased 1.71% to US$214.78 million.

Commercial takeaway: traditional company dinners and large group occasions are losing influence. Products designed for smaller, more personal occasions — accessible wines, convenient formats, RTDs and distinctive flavours — are likely to prove more resilient.

Sources: Aju Press — 23 August 2026 · Vino Joy News — 25 August 2026

4. India: rising value meets tighter regulatory scrutiny

India imported 2.51 million litres of wine in the first half of 2026, down 3%. Import value, however, increased 15.91% to US$13.67 million.

That growth must be kept in perspective. Imported wine is worth only about US$0.009 per person, the lowest per-capita figure among the nine Asian markets examined by Vino Joy News. Whisky, rum and beer continue to dominate the country’s drinking culture.

At the same time, spirits producers are facing greater regulatory scrutiny. Diageo India agreed to reformulate several major whisky and rum brands, including Royal Challenge, Antiquity Blue and McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum, following objections from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India over added flavourings.

The company is expected to remove the disputed additives and clarify front-of-pack information during the transition.

Commercial takeaway: India’s scale does not make it an easy market. Formulation, category definitions, labels, packaging and state-level rules need to be built into the market-entry strategy from the beginning. Premium potential is real, but so are the costs of regulatory complexity.

Sources: Vino Joy News — 25 August 2026 · The Wine Chronicle — 21 August 2026

5. Thailand: tourism and liberalisation are raising import value

Thailand imported 9.92 million litres of wine in the first half of 2026, virtually unchanged from the previous year. Import value nevertheless increased 13.71% to THB2.46 billion, or roughly US$75.7 million.

Still wine grew in both volume and value. Sparkling wine was primarily responsible for the small decline in overall volume.

The market is benefiting from a series of structural changes. Thailand removed wine import tariffs in 2024, reduced excise duties and gradually relaxed alcohol sales-hour restrictions. Tourism is also rebuilding demand across hotels, restaurants, bars and resorts: the country had received approximately 14.52 million international visitors by 7 June 2026.

Commercial takeaway: Thailand is becoming one of Southeast Asia’s most interesting testing grounds for international wine brands. But tariff removal alone will not build demand. Local distribution, staff education, by-the-glass visibility and hospitality partnerships will determine which brands benefit.

Source: Vino Joy News — 25 August 2026

My Upcoming Activities

Both ProWine Shanghai (10–12 November 2026) and ProWine Mumbai (18–19 November 2026) are now fully booked.

Upcoming Trade Shows in 2027

• Japan Foodex 09-12 march 2027

• China Chengdu 22-24 march 2027

• ProWine Tokyo 13–15 April 2027

• ProWine Hong Kong 10–12 May 2027

• Vietnam wine & spirit expo 20-21 may 2027

• Vinexpo HK 08-10 june 2027

I represent and sell your range of wines, champagnes and spirits.

Contact me at jcl@vinifield.asia for more information.

Click here for more details.

To do now

✅ Share this newsletter with a fellow winegrower or négociant — it could open new opportunities for them.

✅ Subscribe to my YouTube channel to receive my best advice.

✅ Subscribe to my English-language newsletter, with more than 19,000 subscribers, the number one newsletter on Asia for market advice and analysis. Click here.

For those who want to go further

✅ My book: China & Business – The Secrets of Success

📢 Want visibility? Sponsor this newsletter

Contact me by email: jcl@vinifield.asia

Written by Jean-Charles Letellier



Founder of Vinifield

Vinifield is a commercial agency specialised in Asian markets:

1. Representation and sales at trade fairs

2. Organisation and support for commercial roadshows

3. Premium export support

1. China Remains Important, But It Should No Longer Be Overestimated

Wine Australia reported a 15% decline in Australian wine exports to China for the year ending June 2026, reaching AUD 756 million.

Read more

After almost one month without publishing a newsletter, I’m back in good shape with these latest updates.

Read more

After almost one month without publishing a newsletter, I’m back in good shape with these latest updates.

Read more

After almost one month without publishing a newsletter, I’m back in good shape with these latest updates.

Read more

Subscribe, share and like to receive the latest news for free.

The 8 Key Takeaways This Week (2–9 June 2026)

1. Chinese Market

According to…

Read more

Subscribe, share and like to receive the latest news for free.

Wine Importer in Shenzhen May 2026

1. India – Pernod Ricard under regulator…

Read more

Between China’s removal of tariffs on African wines, the rebound in South African wine imports, pressure on baijiu, tax reform in India, digitalization in Thailand, and the rise of premium, low/no-alcohol and spirits segments at Vinexpo Asia 2026, the Asian market is sending a clear signal: opportunities still exist,…

Read more

They fail because they underestimate three things: the business culture, the timing of relationships, and the level of preparation required to convince serious importers.

After more than 15 years of field experience in China and Asia, I have seen producers build strong long-term partnerships. I have also seen others lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros in potential business because they moved too fast, misunderstood the concept of “face”, or approached the market with a purely European mindset.

In 2026, Asia is not closed to foreign wines.

It is closed to weak strategies.

If you are a wine, champagne or spirits producer planning to approach China or Southeast Asia in 2026, send me a message. I can give you a direct assessment of your market fit, pricing and export readiness.

Jean-Charles Letellier

Founder of Vinifield

Vinifield is a Bordeaux-based company that helps producers and brands sell in Asia:

• Representation and direct sales at trade fairs across Asia

• Organization of business roadshows with company executives

• Premium export support and advisory services

More informations here

Not because of their wine/spirit.

But because of their strategy.

In just a few days, several very clear signals have emerged:

• Whiskey fl…

Read more

Here are the latest updates from the Asian wine & spirits markets.

To continue receiving this content-rich newsletter for free, subscribe and share. Enjoy the read.

Read more

Here are the latest updates from the Asian wine & spirits markets.
To continue receiving this content-rich newsletter for free, subscribe and share. Enjoy the read.

Read more

Here are the latest updates from the Asian wine & spirits markets.
To continue receiving this content-rich newsletter for free, subscribe and share. Enjoy the read.

Read more

Here are the latest updates from the Asian wine & spirits markets.
To continue receiving this content-rich newsletter for free, subscribe and share. Enjoy the read.

Read more

Here are the latest updates from the Asian wine & spirits markets.
To continue receiving this content-rich newsletter for free, subscribe and share. Enjoy the read.

Read more

Here are the latest updates from the Asian wine & spirits markets.
To continue receiving this content-rich newsletter for free, subscribe and share. Enjoy the read.

Read more

If you want to promote your brand here, I will sponsor you! (send me a message to jcl@vinifield.asia)

19 300 …

Read more

If you want to promote your brand here, I will sponsor you! (send me a message to jcl@vinifield.asia)

19 300…

Read more

1. EU–India Agreement: Opening the Indian Market to European Wine

• The EU–India free trade agreement signed at the end of January provides for major tariff reductions on European wines. Duties will…

Read more