Spanish authorities have uncovered yet another wine counterfeiting operation involving fake Rioja wines exported to China—marking the second such case aimed at the Asian market that Spanish police have cracked in 2025. Read More
Crime
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. Read More
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. 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
A landmark trademark infringement case involving Australian wine giant Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) and its flagship Penfolds brand has been officially recognised by China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC). Read More
A British man accused of orchestrating a nearly US$100 million wine investment scam will be extradited to the United States to face charges, a London court ruled this week. Read More
China’s sweeping new tariffs on American goods are already having unintended consequences—driving up smuggling activity as premium wine labels like California’s Opus One become increasingly lucrative targets for illicit trade. Read More
The surging popularity of white wine in China has gone not unnoticed by fraudsters. Read More
Investigators seized 705 bottles of wine and estimated tax evasion at more than 16 million yuan (US$2.2 million) including well-known names Louis Jadot and Domaine Faiveley. Read More
Authorities in Zhuhai, Guangdong have uncovered a massive wine and spirits smuggling operation, with over 1 million bottles seized. Read More