Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/314400
W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 51 (and) it's sweet, immediately they can talk about that. Immediately they can think, 'That's sweet, I know that, I love it.'" Of course, that doesn't explain the fascination with red wine, highlighted in films such as "Red Obsession" (2013). Because red is considered a lucky color in China, it typi- cally commands a higher price. While wines from France typically command top dollar, even a Cabernet Sauvi- gnon from California can list for more than RMB 6,000 (about $1,000) in Beijing res- taurants. The combination equates to prestige, which also makes red wine a popular gift item; the wine both honors the recipient and highlights the generosity of the giver, boosting face for both sides. But for everyday red wines, Jordan Choy, executive editor of the Hong Kong-based pub- lication WINE.luxe, offers a more practical explanation. Choy maintains that Hong Kong people like lower acid wines and can tolerate higher tannins because of the simi- larities these wines have with tea, a standard accompani- ment to meals. The cultural familiarity with tea is also why it's a mistake for marketers to serve white wine chilled—an unknown practice with most other bev- erages in China, where even the water is cooked (to destroy bacteria) and served warm. "You constantly hear people say, 'Oh, here's this great Ries- ling that goes well with Szech- uan food,'" said Justin Cohen, a research fellow at the Ehren- berg-Bass Institute for Mar- keting Science. "The reality is, in my experience traveling around China, people really have a problem with white wine. One of the big things is the temperature: It's cold." This results in white wines that might otherwise be described as having crisp acid- ity or flavors of lemongrass or bell pepper being pegged as sour and astringent. "People say they don't like it," Cohen said. The result is a barrier to making wine available to con- sumers in a way that they can understand and appreciate— and, in turn, become regular consumers. While the wine may be physically available, it has to be presented in a way consumers can understand, from the appearance of the packaging to the experience on the palate. To resolve the problem, Cohen said wineries should work to establish "memory structures" among consumers that reinforce associations and understanding, and help develop a genuine culture of wine. "How do they perceive your particular wine region, brand or grape variety that you're trying to sell into the market?" he challenged the trade. "We need to care less about the brand and more about the consumer." To tackle the problem, Cohen is in the midst of a two-year project to develop a lexicon to help Chinese con- sumers understand and discuss the wines they're drinking in a language, and with concepts, they can relate to using Chi- nese taste descriptors rather than Western ones. "We also have to understand that the typical wine drinker doesn't know much, so we have to cut through the confu- sion. We have to make things simple and approachable for them," he said. "How do you taste blueberry if you've never seen a blueberry before, or tasted a blueberry before?" Working with consumer tasting panels, Cohen and his colleagues found that the but- teriness that's characteristic of some styles of white wine is recognized by Asian consum- ers as rambutan—although the flavors typically identified in white wines included kaffir lime, pomelo and lemongrass. Clean • Sterilize • Humidify • Bottling Lines • Barrels • Tanks • Floors and Walls • Winery Equipment • Vineyard Equipment "We can do it all" ... ARS/Pressure Washer Company We work well under pressure. 800-735-9277 or www.cleanwinery.com Pressure Washers Barrel Washers and Rinsers Stemware Washers We work well under pressure. Humidifiers Steam Generators ARS_Nov05.qxt 9/23/05 2:12 PM Page 1 SELL TO MORE GROWERS The Wines & Vines Grower Online Marketing System (GOMS) enables users to create and save highly customized grower searches, and export results into advanced report types, data exports and mailing labels. (866) 453-9701 • winesandvines.com/OMS SELECT RECORDS BASED ON: region varietals acreage grape sales new vineyard S A L E S & M A R K E T I N G S A L E S & M A R K E T I N G