中国式的西方“品味”
2009年01月17日1422974
几年前，南德意志报用了整整一版的篇幅报道了中国人的饮酒习惯。这篇文章说，中国本是一个喝茶的国家，后来西风东渐，中国人改喝啤酒即而又发现了葡萄酒。并生动地描写了中国人的“一饮而干喝”酒风俗，这样的风俗欧洲人不仅不敢恭维甚至大吃一惊。接着文章介绍了中国的饮葡萄酒历史，特别提到唐朝诗人饮酒作诗的逸闻。十四世纪，按照皇帝的旨意，葡萄种植园被改为庄稼地，葡萄酒的历史也就终结了。最后更是提到许多中国人觉得葡萄酒这种时髦的新玩艺喝起来就像是变质的饮料，所以就开始在酒里加糖或雪碧……从这篇陈年旧闻不难看出，在外国人的眼里，葡萄酒不仅与中国有着不解的情节与渊源，而且中国式的葡萄酒消费方式在其意识中绝对是个异类。
在人类文明发展中，历史成为葡萄酒文化非常重要的一部分。而葡萄酒也随同和融入历史传承延续下来，就如中国的白酒黄酒。正是由于历经长期积累形成了的各自区域的文化和消费传统，并根植于人们的意识形态里，从而形成现在人们的消费行为。随着近年来经济增速，消费力走强以及国际间文化经贸易交流频繁，中国人品尝葡萄酒已经不是甚么新鲜事，葡萄酒事业在中国的发展也有目共睹。其实在法国和意大利，真正非常专业懂酒的人也不多，只不过是其祖先就喝葡萄酒，传统也就一直沿袭下来，形成了后人的饮酒习惯，就是我们现在看到的欧美国家的人们在日常生活中买支葡萄酒同我们买支饮用水如此简单、普通。所以，在一些宣传和推广中，我们更喜欢拿葡萄酒在西方国家是多么地普及、市场规模有多么地大、人均消费量是多少来证明葡萄酒在中国有何等庞大的容量与前景。而目前国内市场一直是国产葡萄酒的天下，并不是其产品品质有多出众，多推广多专业，归根结底还是因为十多年的市场运作和沉淀，几个牌子已经潜移默化根植在了消费者的认知里,在一般消费者眼里,认为做葡萄酒，他们才是专业，才是主流。
但实际上，如今在中国流行的葡萄酒不过是“泊来物”的本土化体现，例如无论是从种植、酿造，还是产区概念的运用等，所谓葡萄酒在中国N千年前就有的事几乎可以忽略。正是在饮用习惯和精神上需求习惯上的不同区域差异，也形成如今各自不同的酒水消费意识和方式。我们谈起国外的葡萄酒基本上是“时尚浪漫”、“内涵品位”等几个词汇。但是到了中国就形同南桔北枳的现象，对这种外来消费文化与方式的单薄拷贝，显然难以形成理想的市场氛围。即使“入乡随俗”的中国葡萄酒文化已悄然形成，却仍不过是在“卖酒”还是“卖饮料”定位上摇摆。
消费水平不等于消费经验
随着中国内地经济急速起飞，带动人均收入增加，生活品质的提升，以及一群中产阶级正在急速冒起，这些对许多国家葡萄酒尤其是国际高档品牌而言，中国市场的确是一块令人垂涎三尺的肥肉。但时至今日，虽然进口葡萄酒的品牌及产品已极大丰富，选择面已足够多样性，而且性价比越来越高，然而国内消费者的基数和葡萄酒的品尝能力却尚未真正完全提高，这个现实的“进阶”速度着实是让人急忧。
国内近年常说要与国际接轨，商业经营活动要与国际接轨，生活品味也要与国际接轨。结果是与国际接轨的同时往往又带来令国际人士目瞪口呆的“中国特色”葡萄酒消费文化。
常有国内外专业人士和葡萄酒喜好者指出，国内大多数会认为的“红酒”来概括所有葡萄酒继续在传播；更是有相当一部分消费者在饮用葡萄酒时喜欢兑以各式饮料，虽然此举会破坏葡萄酒的品质。再如在欧洲聚首一堂品酒通常选址于宁静场所中进行，然而类似的聚会来到中国后却变成另一曲调。现在要在国内筹办品尝葡萄酒聚会，必须要声、色、艺俱全，才能吸引别人参加。除了干杯，再穿插入美食、爵士乐、魔术表演及抽奖，但在欧洲这种形式只会被视为低俗的离经叛道。当然在如今全民娱乐的时代，这些并无足厚非，毕竟目前在中国的葡萄酒缺乏的就是消费平台。而且当自己去过几次欧洲，看到那里甚至酒庄里的人们也不少握着杯壁谈笑畅饮，回来后就不在对国人正规不正规，专业不专业去如何握杯去闻香再颇多微词了。
其实，对葡萄酒的推广无论是“虚与实”，文化还是模式，都需要因地制宜、因势而为。好象在其他国家如美国，其经济实力是通过数年慢慢地发展积累起来，因为有市场的出现才有商品的出现。以葡萄酒为例，法国人是经过N多年的学习和总结，才开始学懂葡萄酒是什么一回事。可是现在中国经济发展得“太快了”，中国消费者一下子“富”起来“充实”起来。有类似已发展中国家的消费者消费水平，却欠缺有关消费者拥有的消费经验，因此便诞生了一些“特色”的消费习惯，形成各式各样的“中国式消费习惯”。所以也就为刚刚在中国起步发展阶段的葡萄酒市场，提供了些最鲜活的例子。当然，大多葡萄酒经营者普遍会认为只有以葡萄酒文化为核心来进行推广和培养，才有将来。可文化并不能马上转换为价值，所以就短视和短利去忽略，不坚持葡萄酒文化的传播和普及。所以有关品牌经营者可能要多花心思，找出一套为国内消费者而设，可让其拾级而上的“中国式推销“策略。
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Jeff Kwan 2010-08-27
27th/08/2010
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Tea & Wine are totally incompatible to each other. Avoid drinking tea first before you start wine drinking wine. Neither are drinking both simultaneously. When people come to gourmet ( good quality dishes cooking ), don't drink wine & tea together. Is just merely ruining your wine. Tea drinking is the last part after you have finished the dished. Good quality natural drinking mineral water is absolutely compatibile to wine drinking during the whole course of meal. There is no good quality natural drinking mineral water available with China orgin. Real good quality mineral water imported from France & Italy are sold at very high price in the China market. Very very few wine drinkers in China are aware of the essence of good quality mineral water in improving the palate of wine drinking & gourmet. Make the comparison yourself in such sequence & you will find out the difference in affecting your palate on wine.
Step 1) Just drink the wine first without touching the tea. Step
2) Drink the good quality mineral water first. Afterwards, you drink the wine. Step 3) Drink the tea. Afterwards, you drink the wine.
Conclusion : Step 2 offers you the best palate on wine appreciation. Step 3 ruins the wine. Find it out yourself. Bear in mind that imported good quality mineral water is expansive. Unfortunately, good qaulity natural drinking mineral water of China origin is yet to be ready in the market. Why ? The criteria of essence is based on (a) dry residue value in mg/L, (B) sodium content in mg/L. & (C) PH Level ( Take 7 is the most ideal index ). Conduct internet search yourself on (a), (b) & (c) for the essence. Myself is a tea drinker. I like tea drinking but not together with wine while I am enjoying good quality wine ( vino ). Definitely avoid drinking good quality wine together with tea. If you do so, you are just wasting your money & turn the vintage to disadvantage. Drink the tea as your last course. This is the right way format. China men want to stay modern but they lack of the knowledge of staying classey ( classy ). They are learning in a painful way. Thank you for the time. Jeff Kwan ( Hong Kong )
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Jeff Kwan 2010-08-27
25th/09/2010
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Tea & Wine are totally incompatible to each other. Avoid drinking tea first before you start wine drinking wine. Neither is deinking both simultaneously. When people come to gourmet ( good quality dishes cooking ), don't drink wine & tea together. Is just merely ruining your wine. Tea drinking is the last part after you have finished the dished. Good quality natural drinking mineral water is absolutely compatibile to wine drinking during the whole course of meal. There is no good quality natural drinking mineral water available with China orgin. Real good quality mineral water imported from France & Italy are sold at very high price in the China market. Very very few wine drinkers in China are aware of the essence of good quality mineral water in improving the palate of wine drinking & gourmet. Make the comparison yourself in such sequence & you will find out the difference in affecting your palate on wine.
Step 1) Just drink the wine first without touching the tea.
Step 2) Drink the good quality mineral water first. Afterwards, you drink the wine.
Step 3) Drink the tea. Afterwards, you drink the wine.
Conclusion : Step 2 offers you the best palate on wine appreciation. Step 3 ruins the wine.
Find it out yourself. Bear in mind that imported good quality mineral water is expansive. Unfortunately, good qaulity natural drinking mineral water of China origin is yet to be ready in the market. Why ? The criteria of essence is based on (a) dry residue value in mg/L, (B) sodium content in mg/L. & (C) PH Level ( Take 7 is the most ideal index ). Conduct internet search yourself on (a), (b) & (c) for the essence.
Myself is a tea drinker. I like tea drinking but not together with wine while I am enjoying good quality wine ( vino ). Definitely avoid drinking good quality wine together with tea. If you do so, you are just wasting your money & turn the vintage to disadvantage. Drink the tea as your last course. This is the right way format. China men want to stay modern but they lack of the knowledge of staying classey ( classy ). They are learning in a painful way.
Thank you for the time.
Jeff Kwan ( Hong Kong )