Longtime wine importer Shanghai Mercuris Wines Co., Ltd. has denied rumours that it has shut down, after talk swept through China’s wine trade suggesting the 32-year-old company had run into trouble.
The talk has circulated across China’s wine trade in recent weeks, with some salespeople claiming the importer had disbanded. An industry source told Vino Joy News they had heard from two colleagues that Mercuris had “closed down.”
Its website went offline and its WeChat account went silent for four months, sparking speculation about the fate of the 30-year-old company.
Public records show Mercuris was founded in 1993, making it one of China’s earliest wine importers. The company has represented international brands including Drappier, Calvet, Argento, Vistamar, and Trinchero Family Estates.
After verifying the claims, Vino Joy News found that Mercuris’s business status remains active, according to the corporate registry platform Tianyancha, meaning it continues to operate legally. However, its official website (www.mercuris.com.cn) is currently inaccessible, and its WeChat account has not posted since June 17.
When reached by Vino Joy News, Winston Wang, who oversees hotel and restaurant accounts in East China for Mercuris, dismissed the closure rumours as “nonsense.”
“We’ve simply adjusted our business structure,” Wang said. “Non-on-trade channels are no longer our focus, but everything else is running as usual.”
He added that the company, like many others, is cutting back on SKUs and inventory to adapt to weaker wine demand. “Everyone in the market is controlling stock and streamlining their portfolio — we’re doing the same,” he said.
Wang said Mercuris continues to perform well in Shanghai’s hospitality and restaurant sector. “Our on-trade business is stable,” he said. “The company’s parent group is financially strong, so there’s no operational issue.”
Decades-Old Importer
Mercuris was founded earlier than several of China’s best-known importers, including ASC Fine Wines, Summergate, and Aussino. Its parent company, Shanghai Hengda Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd., is a Shanghai-government-recognised high-tech enterprise focused on biomedical research, with additional interests in trade and real estate.
According to Tianyancha, Hengda has registered capital of RMB 30 million (US$ 4.2 million), while Mercuris’s is RMB 10 million (US$ 1.4 million).
Mercuris is headquartered in Shanghai with a branch in Beijing and offices in Hangzhou, Dalian, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. It imports wines from 12 countries — including France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, and the United States — managing a portfolio of more than 1,000 SKUs.
The company distributes through dealers, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and private clients, with major retail partners such as Carrefour and Beijing Hualian.
Restructuring Sparks Speculation
China’s wine market has faced years of structural pressure from declining supermarket sales and shrinking banquet consumption, a situation worsened by government alcohol restrictions and weak economic recovery.
Industry insiders told Vino Joy News that Mercuris’s recent SKU reductions and channel restructuring may have been misinterpreted as signs of financial distress.
The company’s focus has shifted toward on-trade and hospitality, aligning with wider industry efforts to adapt to evolving consumer behaviour.
For now, Mercuris remains in operation — leaner and more focused, but still active — in a market where rumours of closures have become increasingly common amid China’s prolonged wine slump.
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