If anyone's interested in the wine market here in China, there's a really interesting online paper produced by The Drinks Business at the bottom of this post. With taxes and duties adding up to 47% (plus middlemen adders on top) you can understand why foreign wine suppliers are shipping very low quality wine to China. In terms of Kunming, my simple logic says, if the country of origin has managed to do a deal with China, and the exchange rate is good, and they are a low cost quality producer BUY THAT WINE! Bottom line is that countries like Chile and Argentina will generally provide better value for money here in Kunming compared to Australian or French wine. I generally use Metro for South American wine and The Box for Italian (bit of a treat). I steer clear of all others. I did find a really good supplier of Spanish wine in Beijing last March, who will supply to Kunming (if anyone wants details, let me know). Here's the link I mentioned at the top (hope it works!)

www.thedrinksbusiness.co.uk/[...]

Marco Polo is right about the import tax of 48% on wine. Also, If the wine suppliers in Kunming buy their wines from middlemen in Shanghai, Beijing or Guanzhou, plus the transport costs to Kunming.

If you buy a bottle of 100 yuan wine at metro, you can buy the same bottle for 20 yuan in Europe.

Good European wines are in general more expensive, the quality controll standards are much higher than Australia or America.
As far as I know there is only one wine distributor in Kunming who imports directly to Kunming. I get all of my wines from them, I just dont like to pay for one or even more middlemen.

My favorite wine costs in a European wine shop around 15 Euro (140yuan), here in Kunming I pay 210 yuan for it. I think this is a fair deal, knowing about the 48% import tax. If I want to get the same wine from some distributor in Shanghai it would be even more expensive.

Lets be happy we dont live in Thailand with an import tax on wine of 300%.

I have had some nice Chinese wine given to me. But I would not pay the 150-250rmb price myself.

There was also a recent scandal about Yunnan Hong. This wine is made from old world grapes imported about 200 years ago. Some growers were adding industrial alcohol to boost alcohol content. Having said that some European growers were guilty of this in the 70s, and again in the 80s.

I am not a fine wine connoisseur, but I would rather pay <50 RMB for an imported gulping wine that tastes OK than some of the local wine of a similar price. I once had a bottle of Changhyu for 60 RMB that I found undrinkable, and I will drink almost anything.

PS I used to drink a lot of Yunnan Hong

unfortunately i've found metro to be the only place i can buy (well, afford - i'm a student) reasonable wine. there's a red there for 26rmb from chile, i think, called castle orra or castillera or something like that... goes down pretty well! also have a chardonnay from oz, coldstone or something to that effect, last time i went it was on special for under 40rmb. pretty decent drop - and that's coming from someone who spent the last year in oz drinking way too many whites! would definitely recommend checking it out.

Have you heard of the KIWI meetings? This started out as a few Aussies and NZers on a mission to find good drinkable wines at under 60 rmb a bottle. KIWI, by the way, is for Kunming International Wine Imbibers and there are still a few Kiwis involved. Now we meet on the third Saturday of the Month at Slice of Heaven and the mission is the same, finding good drinkable imported wines for less than 60 rmb. The process is, bring your wine, if it's no good that's fine, drink someone else's good find. If it's good everyone congratulates you and drinks most of your wine! The best I try to get good enough quantities of to put in our stock. See you next time on the 16th of July.

Honestly, a bottle of wine, bought in China for under 60 yuan can also be bought for less than one Dollar or Euro in cheap discounter in the States or Europe.

And those wines are far away from beeing good.

I mean, I understand not everybody can afford decent wines all the time. When I was a student I also drank a lot of cheap wine, but more for the purpose of getting drunk, not to enjoy it.
I just wish there would be a little bit different wine culture grow here.

Where are the people who know good wines and who are maybe interested in wine tastings.
Anybody interested?

Sandra's in Bei Chen... ask for a discount.

I got mine from Yunnan Winery in Mile but my niece works there so I get it for free (a gift). Any free alcohol is good alcohol. lol

i actually have a friend here who imports red wine from France and Chile.

he just started the business and is still looking for distributors to take some of his stock.

if any of you are interested, i would be more than happy to pass his contact number to you so you may enquire more abt them.

however, these being imported wine, the price tag's usually higher than local red wines with all the taxes and all. last time he gave me a bottle from France, cant remember the brand though, but it was just under 200RMB but its taste was excellent~

have yet to find any local red wines that i like... will keep trying :)