Wine in the Philippines

With more lower-priced wines on the market and distribution channels opening up, wine has become more available and accessible to the Filipino consumer. 

There is no local production so all wine is imported. Most of the recent growth has been for New World wines but there is still a strong market for Old World wines which carry an air of sophistication and are usually consumed by more knowledgeable and affluent wine drinkers.

Males are the traditional consumers of alcohol but marketers are now targeting women and young urban professionals in their campaigns as this demographic have been increasing its alcohol consumption.

Most Filipino wine consumers are found in Manila and Cebu and wine distribution is concentrated here. Supermarkets and hypermarkets are providing more shelf space, albeit for lower-end wines, and specialty shops are increasing the number of wines on offer in the mid to premium range.

Market Requirements

The Philippines has a number of duties and taxes applicable to imported wine and a lengthy product registration process which must be completed before importation can begin. Excise taxes on wine are quite high, particularly on sparkling wine.