Duties will fall from 150% to as low as 25% over a decade, though lower-priced wines will see no relief. Besides, hefty state taxes and regulations are still major hurdles.
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Asia
Authorities in Malaysia's Sabah state uncovered two separate liquor smuggling cases within a single week this month, the latest in a string of incidents that officials and industry observers link to the country's steep alcohol taxes and an unusual quirk in its tax code that has turned a nearby duty-free island into a smuggling gateway. Read More
Authorities seized 112 bottles and thousands of mooncakes near the Chinese border in an unusual case involving Chinese-made wine. Read More
The convenience store chain is discounting G7 and Yellow Tail as it seeks to make wine part of everyday drinking occasions.
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Beer sales in India jumped 17% in the April-June quarter as rising taxes on spirits widened the price gap between the two categories, industry data show. Read More
A Chinese national who orchestrated a scheme to smuggle beer into Singapore by declaring shipments as food and industrial machinery was sentenced to 164 days in jail after failing to pay a S$560,000 (US$437,000) fine, authorities said. Read More
Police in Bandung, Indonesia, have seized 6,624 bottles of alcoholic beverages suspected of bearing counterfeit excise stamps, the latest in a series of cases highlighting tax evasion in the country’s alcohol trade. Read More
Varun Beverages, one of India’s largest beverage companies and a major PepsiCo bottler, will establish an RTD subsidiary led by former Diageo executive.
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Malaysian customs officers have seized more than 190,000 litres of alcohol hidden in shipping containers and falsely declared as everything from furniture and shoes to bathtubs and welding machines. Read More
Only two of the nine markets tracked by Vino Joy News saw both import volume and value fall in the first half of 2026, highlighting pockets of resilience across Asia.
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