Expanding your wine or spirits brand into Asia? You’ll need more than a great vintage—you’ll need visibility.

In this guide, we highlight the Top Wine & Spirits Publications and Podcasts in Asia You Should Know in 2025. These serve as trusted platforms for importers, sommeliers, and trade buyers. Use them to tell your story, grow brand equity, and fast-track market entry.

Why Media Visibility in Wine & Spirits Matters in Asia

Asia’s wine and spirits market is growing at breakneck speed. Strong media visibility can:

• Build credibility among industry professionals
• Speed distribution deals through trusted mentions
• Reach affluent consumers, especially in countries like China, Japan, and Singapore

By aligning with top-tier publications and podcasts in each market, you position your brand as serious, credible, and ready for expansion.

China

Vino Joy News is China’s leading English-language media platform dedicated to wine and spirits. Founded in 2019 by Natalie Wang—a former journalist at the International Herald Tribune and Thomson Reuters—it has rapidly become the most trusted news source for China’s wine industry, known for insightful analysis, market data, and credible journalism.

The platform covers breaking industry news, region-specific trends, and trade developments across China and Asia.

Image: Bottled in China Podcast by Somm Emilie Steckenborn on Spotify

Bottled in China, hosted by Sommelier Emilie Steckenborn since 2016, is a bilingual podcast featuring interviews with trade experts, trend analysis, and consumer insights. It has aired over 170 episodes and even reached audiences via channels like Air Canada inflight entertainment, making it a valuable platform for narrative-driven brand engagement.

Hong Kong

Wine Luxe is a bilingual monthly magazine established in 2009 with a circulation of around 30,000 in Hong Kong and southern China. It offers premium wine and spirits editorial content, masterclasses, interviews with sommeliers, and hosts the prestigious annual Wine Luxe International Awards. This blend of high-end editorial and events makes it a go-to platform for luxury brands targeting affluent consumers and industry insiders.

Cru Magazine is well‑embedded in Hong Kong’s fine‑dining scene, offering bilingual content, tasting notes, chef-sommelier interviews, and coverage of trade dinners.

Image: HK's Wine Luxe Magazine

Japan

Winart Magazine is Japan’s top consumer wine magazine, offering tasting guides, vintage reports, and cultural storytelling. Its appeal to enthusiast audiences makes it ideal for premium wine brands looking to engage Japanese consumers.

WANDS, published by the Japan Wine Association, is a B2B digest focused on trade intelligence, import regulations, and industry events—a critical resource for reaching Japanese importers and distributors.

South Korea

Wine21.com stands as South Korea’s premier online wine portal. It offers news, educational content, importer introductions, and organizes events such as masterclasses (e.g., Georgian wine in Seoul), showing strong trade and consumer influence.

WineOK.com provides wine reviews and comprehensive coverage of consumer and trade events, complementing Wine21 as part of Korea’s core wine media duo.

Singapore

Spirited Singapore covers wines, spirits, bar culture, and trade events, offering stylish editorial content suitable for brands launching limited editions or cocktail innovations.

Epicure Asia focuses on luxury food and beverage content, including wine pairing stories and editorial features, making it ideal for premium spirits and wine launches.

Thailand

Gourmet & Cuisine is Thailand’s leading Thai-language F&B platform, widely respected among chefs, influencers, and hospitality professionals. It offers extensive coverage of wine, spirits, pairing trends, and industry news.

BK Magazine is a prominent urban lifestyle publication in Bangkok, featuring F&B sections that highlight wine pairings and trendy dining, perfect for brands targeting the city’s vibrant scene.

Vietnam

Epicure Vietnam produces high-end wine, dining, and hospitality editorial in Vietnamese. With regular features on new vintages, pairing stories, and events, it’s a crucial channel for reaching upscale consumers and professionals.

Winecellar.vn, an importer-run blog, offers tasting notes, pairing suggestions, and trade commentary in Vietnamese, valued for authentic and grounded insights into the local wine scene.

India

Sommelier India has been India’s flagship English wine magazine since 2005, with a bi-monthly print run of around 25,000. It includes international contributions (e.g., Jancis Robinson MW) and organizes the annual Sommeliers of India Competition—key for gaining recognition.

Image: Sommelier India

Cheers Chatty is India’s first and only dedicated beer podcast, hosted by Chatty Girija. Since launching in 2020, it has released nearly 50 episodes featuring brewers, sommeliers, and industry professionals. With a mission to “give the real heroes of the beer and alcobev industry a voice,” Cheers Chatty also partners with Craft Beer School for immersive beer education—a must on any brand’s radar for narrative opportunities in craft and spirits spheres

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I choose which media outlet to pitch first?
A: Prioritize based on target market. For instance, China = Vino Joy News + Bottled in China. Japan = Winart + WANDS. Choose English vs local language media based on your distribution strategy.

Q: Should I pitch print, digital, or podcast media?
A: All of the above. Print builds brand prestige; digital offers immediacy; podcasts provide storytelling depth and authenticity.

Q: How do I craft a pitch for Asian media?
A: Research the outlet, reference previous features on similar brands, and offer exclusive tasting events or branded content with local experts.

Q: Is bilingual content essential?
A: In countries like China, Hong Kong, and Japan, bilingual content expands reach among trade and consumers. It also shows cultural commitment.

Q: How often should I engage with these media outlets?
A: Aim for regular outreach tied to new vintages, holiday releases, brand milestones, or cultural events like Chinese New Year.

Q: What’s the best way to measure media impact?
A: Track IPC increase (importer contact volume), distribution deals, website traffic, and social mentions following a feature.

To thrive in Asia’s complex wine and spirits markets, visibility in trusted publications and podcasts is non‑negotiable. From China's Vino Joy News to Sommelier India, each outlet serves as a gateway to credibility, trade partnerships, and consumer awareness. Use this guide as your media roadmap—pitch smart, share your story in the local language, and align with the voices that matter most in 2025.