Vino Joy News
Posts
China Spares Brandy - If Price Is Right

China Spares Brandy - If Price Is Right

Diageo's Mass Layoffs in China/ $20M Wine Smuggling Ring/ Sky is the Limit for Natural Wine in China

Natalie Wang
July 07, 2025

After more than a year of uncertainty, brandy producers like Hennessy, Martell, and Rémy Martin can finally take a much needed breath of relief. China’s final anti-dumping ruling spares them from steep tariffs — but only if they stick to a strict pricing floor. We break down why this is a tactical win for the industry.

While brandy catches a break, baijiu faces a reckoning. Diageo’s premium baijiu arm Shuijingfang is reportedly undergoing mass layoffs, signalling deeper trouble for the category amid continued market consolidation.

In Chengdu — China’s baijiu capital — three very different wine bars are quietly rewriting the rules. One pairs wine with Sichuan small plates, another thrives on personal charm in a shoebox-sized space, and a third moves 6,000 bottles a month under the glow of stage lights. Could this be the future of wine bars in China?

Two explosive crime cases have rocked the industry. One involves a US$20 million wine smuggling ring spanning Hong Kong and the mainland. The other? A Chinese producer caught passing off budget fizz as Champagne — and getting shut down in court.

Burgundy is breathing life back into Asia’s fine wine market. The latest LIV-EX report shows renewed momentum — and a shift in power away from the U.S.

And if you think natural wine is niche, think again. RAW Wine founder Isabelle Legeron MW says China’s natural wine moment is only just beginning — and once it catches on, "the sky’s the limit."

For more on the wine industry in China and Asia, be sure to subscribe to our website to read more subscriber-only content.

China Uncovers $20M Wine Smuggling Ring

With just a junior high school education, Zhuang built one of China’s largest alcohol smuggling rings, evading $20 million in taxes and exposing a vast underground network exploiting e-commerce and Hong Kong trade routes.

Reports of Mass Layoffs Surface at Diageo’s China Baijiu Subsidiary

Sparkling wine is emerging as a rare bright spot in China’s declining alcohol market, according to a new report from the IWSR, the global leader in beverage alcohol data and insights.

Bourgogne Gains Ground in China

While the Liv-ex Fine Wine 100 Index posted its steepest monthly drop since August 2023 in April, Asian buyers have begun to fill the gap left by the retreating U.S. market—led by a resurgent demand for Bourgogne.

Riesling, Folk Songs, and Personal Charm: Chengdu’s Wine Bar Experiment

In China’s baijiu capital, three very different wine bars are defying the odds — one pairing wine with Sichuan snacks, another built on personal charm, and a third moving thousands of bottles in a live music venue. What’s their secret to survival in a city where baijiu still rules?

China Waives Tariffs for 34 Brandy Firms With Pricing Guarantee

China has wrapped up its anti-dumping investigation into brandy imports from the European Union, ruling that dumping did occur but opting not to impose tariffs on companies that agree to sell at minimum prices.

Chinese Company Fined for Selling $0.6 ‘Champagne’

A Chinese winery has been fined after authorities seized more than 1,500 bottles of sparkling wine falsely labeled as Champagne, the latest in a string of trademark infringement cases involving European wine regions in China.

‘Sky’s the Limit’: Raw Wine Founder Sees Soaring Potential for Natural Wine in China

Natural wine is gaining traction in China, and the market’s growth potential may be limitless, according to Isabelle Legeron MW, founder of Raw Wine and France’s first female Master of Wine, who believes only “sky is the limit” once it catches on.

China’s Top 100 Importers

The 237-page report offers an in-depth analysis of regional dynamics and market opportunities across North China, Northeast China, East China, South Central, Southwest, and Northwest China. It identifies the top 100 wine importers currently operating in mainland China. This regional breakdown provides a clear picture of where market influence is concentrated—and how each part of the country is shaping the growth and transformation of wine consumption in China.