New data from 2024 reveal a steep 29.3% drop in total duty-free sales, reflecting both weakened consumer sentiment and the fading allure of Hainan’s “tourism + duty-free” model. Read More
Morris Cai
Morris Cai has carved out a niche for himself as a leading journalist and editor, specializing in the wine and spirits sector. His career, now spanning over a dozen years, has seen him dedicate a significant portion of it—ten years—to honing his expertise in this field. Cai’s career in journalism started in 2012 when worked as a reporter and web editor at Entrepreneur Daily, a national newspaper. His ambition and dedication to his craft saw him taking a step further into the food and beverage sector in 2014, when he joined the editorial team of China’s leading food publication New Food magazine, contributing significantly to the Food and Drinks News section as both a reporter and an editor. In 2016, he joined WBO Wine Business Observation, a leading Chinese wine trade media as its lead writer and web editor. In this capacity, Cai independently spearheaded the selection of topics and produced an impressive array of around 200 articles each year, focusing on the nuanced reporting of wine and spirits. His work gave rise to numerous in-depth and widely read articles that have significantly influenced the industry’s discourse. Cai is fluent in English communications, interviews, and skilled at bi-lingual translations, which has supported his long-term involvement in sourcing and translating topics for English websites. His in-depth knowledge of trends and insights within the wine and spirits industries marks him as a respected authority in his field.
King Power, Thailand’s duty-free monopoly at five major airports, is seeking to terminate its long-term concession contracts early, saying a collapse in Chinese tourism and the government’s scrapping of wine import duties have severely undercut sales and made its business unsustainable. Read More
A Singaporean man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for masterminding a fraudulent wine investment scheme that defrauded investors of over SGD 12.6 million, authorities said. Read More
U.S. wine exports to Canada fell 93% in April, the steepest year-on-year drop in more than two decades, as Canadian provinces pulled American alcohol from store shelves in response to U.S. tariffs. Read More
China's delivery giant Meituan, which entered the annual June 18 shopping festival, or 618 festival, for the first time this year, saw total transaction volume on its platform double in the first 24 hours after the campaign launch on May 28. Read More
China’s new generation of young couples is opting for milk tea instead of alcohol at their weddings — a growing trend gaining traction across social media.
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A new generation of Chinese winemakers is breaking away from big-budget châteaux and industrial formulas. United by a shared passion for craft, identity, and terroir, these indie producers are banding together to reshape the future of Chinese wine—at home and on the global stage. Read More
Changyu, China’s largest wine producer, is selling its French Cognac estate and related property for 4.8 million euros (about US$5.2 million) as part of ongoing efforts to offload underperforming assets and shore up its finances. Read More
South African wine could be the next to enjoy zero-tariff access to China under a sweeping new trade policy that Beijing has proposed this week for 53 African countries. Read More
Is Lafite’s First Chinese White Wine on the Way? With 20,000 grapevines just been shipped to Long Dai in Shandong, all signs point to a white wine debut from Lafite’s Chinese estate soon. Read More