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頂級葡萄酒成為亞洲買家的奢侈品
來源：紐約時(shí)報(bào)
精品葡萄酒在亞洲市場中的價(jià)格居高,，但還是有大量的買家。隨著中國在去年取代法國和意大利成為紅酒的最大購買者,，亞洲買家如今在全球的葡萄酒市場中有著重要的影響力?，F(xiàn)在，亞洲地區(qū)的客戶在葡萄酒的挑選上也變得越來越成熟,、有鑒別力和多樣化,。
“亞洲葡萄酒愛好者越來越多，他們也在享用越來越多的的葡萄酒,，”佳士得中國區(qū)名酒部主管譚業(yè)明(Simon Tam)在談及拍賣行近期的銷售時(shí)說,。“這個(gè)市場正在極其迅速地成熟起來。”
亞洲人歷來有喝威士忌,、白蘭地和用糧食蒸餾的白酒之類的本土酒的傳統(tǒng),，但并不喝葡萄酒。隨著財(cái)富的日益增長,，以及饋送禮品和尋找新型投資的喜好,，亞洲富豪們近些年開始熱衷于購買頂級葡萄酒和其他種類的奢侈物品。
香港在十年前的國際葡萄酒領(lǐng)域中還鮮少被提及,，而自2008年葡萄酒稅被廢除后,，香港成為了葡萄酒交易的重要樞紐。很多商家在此地開啟了業(yè)務(wù),，其中包括聲名在外的英國酒商貝瑞兄弟與魯?shù)?Berry Brothers & Rudd),，它的歷史可以追溯到1698年，以及致力于專業(yè)領(lǐng)域,、專門銷售由法國小型葡萄酒莊園生產(chǎn)的天然葡萄酒的公司La Cabane,。
新加坡的葡萄酒價(jià)格中稅收占相當(dāng)大的比重，但即使這樣，新加坡物流公司CWT還是在花費(fèi)兩億新幣（約合10億元人民幣）建造一個(gè)高端葡萄酒的儲藏設(shè)施,，建成后將可以在溫濕度和光照可控的條件下,，儲存1000萬瓶葡萄酒。
“對于亞洲買家來說,，這更多關(guān)乎地位——把葡萄酒當(dāng)作一種奢侈品來享用,，”蘇富比亞洲區(qū)葡萄酒部主管樓伯禮(Robert Sleigh)說。“他們愿意出可觀的高價(jià)購買這些直接從葡萄莊園來的酒,，并且非?？粗鼐破康耐庥^。”
亞洲一些國家經(jīng)濟(jì)增長勢頭日趨緩慢,，加上北京下決心遏制政府官員奢侈消費(fèi)的舉措,，使得亞洲的葡萄酒市場冷靜了一些。佳士得售出的葡萄酒平均價(jià)格為每瓶3萬到6萬港幣,，與2010年的15萬至20萬港幣相比,，有了大幅的下降，譚業(yè)明說,。同時(shí),，Acker Merrall所售葡萄酒的平均價(jià)格在2011至2013年間下降了大約一半。
在葡萄酒興起的早些年間,，買家對自己的鑒賞力還不是很確定,，所以只專注于幾個(gè)有名氣的品牌。法國波爾多葡萄酒在當(dāng)中倍受青睞,，一度主宰銷售市場,。
相比幾年以前，如今的買家已經(jīng)將觸角伸到更多種類,、不同產(chǎn)地的葡萄酒當(dāng)中,。這一趨勢也反映了其他種類奢侈品消費(fèi)的現(xiàn)狀，比如包和衣服,，最初中意于高識別度大牌的消費(fèi)者開始變得更加自信并尋求個(gè)人風(fēng)格,。
“曾經(jīng)有位顧客每周都會從我們這里購買一瓶波爾多葡萄酒，”在Winebeast工作的侍酒師文森特·菲隆(Vincent Feron)說,。Winechest是一家小型葡萄酒商店,，于去年在香港灣仔地區(qū)開張，主要銷售法國和西班牙葡萄酒,。
“現(xiàn)在,，他開始嘗試其他葡萄酒，而且特別喜歡朗格多克,，”菲隆說,，他提到的朗格多克地處法國南部,。“人們喜歡知道更多。一旦他們開始信任你,，他們也開始采納你的建議,。”
零售商和高檔餐廳都在加強(qiáng)葡萄酒的種類，并且確保他們的員工熟知各類葡萄酒,，以期應(yīng)對亞洲客人日新月異的口味變化,。
舉例來說，坐落在海邊的香港洲際酒店(InterContinental hotel)中有四家環(huán)境優(yōu)雅的餐廳,，各自都聘請了兩位侍酒師,。酒店餐飲部的高級經(jīng)理克里斯托夫·特拉夫尼切克(Christoph Travniczek)說，他們存有1700種酒,，每瓶至少價(jià)值75美元，而最貴的可以達(dá)到幾千美元,?？腿诉€是會偶爾在一瓶酒上大肆揮霍幾千美元。但他們“不再簡單地只買酒單上最貴的,，”特拉夫尼切克說,。“他們買他們喜歡的，同時(shí)也聽取侍酒師的建議,。”
中國擁有將近14億居民,，持續(xù)推動著全球的消費(fèi)，尤其是紅酒銷售,，因?yàn)榧t酒在中國比白葡萄酒要受歡迎的多,。中國在去年購買的紅酒總量將近190萬瓶，這一數(shù)字由Vinexpo葡萄酒及烈酒商貿(mào)展的組織者委派進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查得出,，該展將于下月在香港舉行,。這個(gè)數(shù)字相比2008年翻了一倍多。中國同時(shí)也是世界上最大的葡萄酒生產(chǎn)國,，但大多數(shù)出品的質(zhì)量仍然很低,。
香港、中國內(nèi)地以及亞洲其他地區(qū)的葡萄酒愛好者還準(zhǔn)備投入相當(dāng)多的時(shí)間和努力,，不僅享用飲品本身,，還要獲取品嘗及購買決定所需的信息。
卡爾文·陳(Calvin Tan)在兩年前開始著迷于葡萄酒,，之后進(jìn)修了兩門葡萄酒方面的課程,，其中一門在法國品酒學(xué)院(L’École du Vin de France)進(jìn)行，該學(xué)院于2011年在香港設(shè)立了一個(gè)辦公室,。
“我需要一個(gè)愛好,，而我又喜歡品酒和美食,，所以這是完美的答案，”他說,。
陳先生在香港工作,，供職于一家美國銀行，他并不是蘇富比和佳士得所賣的頂級葡萄酒市場中的客戶,。他擁有過最昂貴的葡萄酒僅僅是價(jià)值800港幣的一瓶意大利紅酒,。但他想要學(xué)習(xí)和拓展的熱情——他現(xiàn)在最喜歡的是里奧哈(Riojas)和新西蘭黑松果葡萄酒——展現(xiàn)了亞洲葡萄酒愛好者的轉(zhuǎn)變。
“最初,，那些報(bào)名參加我們活動的人對于葡萄酒知道的非常少,，”法國品酒學(xué)院的香港代表說。“現(xiàn)在,，很多人已經(jīng)知道相當(dāng)多了,，并且還想要拓寬這方面的專業(yè)知識，”她說,，此外她還提到學(xué)校正籌劃在內(nèi)地的北京和廣州開設(shè)課程,。
上述的情況給了葡萄酒專家們信心，即使很多地區(qū)的經(jīng)濟(jì)增長勢頭正在減緩,，亞洲的購買者也會持續(xù)在葡萄酒上花大價(jià)錢,。“我們還在夢想達(dá)到2010年和2011年那樣的高點(diǎn)，”Acker Merrall的總裁約翰·卡邦(John Kapon)說,。“但2014年已經(jīng)有了個(gè)好的開始,，大中華地區(qū)在國際市場中依然是頭號驅(qū)動力。”(更多資訊請瀏覽中國進(jìn)出口網(wǎng))
Affluent Wine Buyers in Asia Find Their Confidence
HONG KONG — Six bottles of 1990 Romanée-Conti Burgundy sold to an Asian buyer at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong last month for 980,000 Hong Kong dollars ($126,345). A case of wine from the Cros Parantoux vineyard in Burgundy, France, fetched $82,333 in a sale held by the American auction house Acker Merrall & Condit at a restaurant overlooking Hong Kong’s harbor.
Fine wine comes at a price in Asia, but there are plenty of buyers. Asian consumers have become a major factor in the global wine market, with China overtaking France and Italy last year as the biggest consumer of red wine. Now, customers in the region are getting more sophisticated, educated and diverse in their wine choices.
“There are a lot more wine lovers in Asia, and they are enjoying a lot more wines,” Simon Tam, head of wine at Christie’s China, said about the auction house’s recent sale. “The market is maturing very, very rapidly.”
Asians have traditionally been drinkers of whiskey, brandy and local spirits like baijiu, a liquor distilled from grain, rather than wine. But rising wealth, a penchant for giving gifts and a constant search for new types of investment have turned affluent Asians into avid buyers of top wines and other luxury items in recent years.
Hong Kong, which was barely featured on the international wine scene a decade ago, has become a major hub for wine trading since taxes on wine were abolished here in 2008. Dozens of merchants have opened operations, including famous players like the British company Berry Brothers & Rudd, which traces its roots to 1698, and niche establishments like La Cabane, which sells natural wines from small vineyards in France.
Even in Singapore, wher taxes add considerably to the price of a bottle of wine, CWT, a logistics company, is spending 200 million Singapore dollars ($158 million) on a high-end wine storage facility that will be able to store 10 million bottles in air-conditioned and humidity- and light-controlled conditions.
“For Asian buyers, it’s a lot about prestige — about enjoying wines as a luxury,” said Robert Sleigh, head of the wine department at Sotheby’s in Asia. “They are prepared to pay substantial premiums for wines that come directly from the vineyard and they put a lot of importance on the cosmetic appearance of the bottle.”
Slowing momentum in some Asian economies and Beijing’s determination to rein in flashy spending by state officials have helped to inject some sobriety into the market. Average lot prices at Christie’s wine sales in Hong Kong are 30,000 to 60,000 Hong Kong dollars (roughly $3,860 to $7,730), down from about 150,000 to 200,000 dollars in 2010, Mr. Tam said. The average price of bottles sold by Acker Merrall fell by about half from 2011 to 2013.
In the early years of the boom, buyers, still unsure of themselves, focused on just a few dozen notable names. French Bordeaux wines were a particular favorite and dominated sales.
Now buyers have spread their wings and are purchasing more types of wines, and from more places, than they did a few years ago. This trend echoes what is happening in other categories of luxury spending, like handbags or clothing, wher an initial allegiance to big-name, highly recognizable brands has begun to fade as shoppers have become more confident and individualistic.
“We have a customer who used to buy a bottle of Bordeaux with us every week,” said Vincent Feron, a sommelier who works at Winebeast, a small store that opened in the bustling Hong Kong neighborhood of Wan Chai last year and sells mostly French and Spanish wines.
“Now, he has started to explore other wines, and really likes Languedoc,” Mr. Feron said, referring to an area in southern France. “People like to be educated. As soon as they get to trust you, they are prepared to take your advice.”
Retailers and top restaurants have reacted to Asian consumers’ rapidly evolving appetites by beefing up their wine selections and making sure they have staff members who are well trained in wine selection.
The four elegant restaurants in the InterContinental hotel on the Hong Kong waterfront, for example, employ two sommeliers each. Among them, they stock 1,700 labels, costing at least $75 a bottle and as much as several thousand United States dollars at the top end, said Christoph Travniczek, a senior manager for food and beverage at the hotel. Guests do still occasionally splash out on wines that cost thousands of United States dollars a bottle. But they “are no longer simply buying whatever is most expensive on the wine list,” Mr. Travniczek said. “They buy what they like, and they listen to the recommendations of the sommeliers.”
China, with nearly 1.4 billion inhabitants, continues to drive global consumption, especially of red wines, which are far more popular in the country than whites. Nearly 1.9 billion bottles of red were consumed in China last year, according to a study commissioned by the organizers of the Vinexpo wine and spirits industry exhibition, which takes place in Hong Kong next month. That is more than twice the amount in 2008. China is also one of the world’s biggest producers of wine, though the quality is for the most part still low.
Wine fans in Hong Kong, mainland China and elsewher in Asia are also increasingly prepared to invest considerable time and effort in soaking up not just the beverage itself, but also the information that goes into drinking and purchasing decisions.
Calvin Tan caught the wine bug two years ago and has since taken two wine courses, including one at a French wine academy, L’École du Vin de France, which opened an office in Hong Kong in 2011.
“I needed a hobby, and I love drinking and eating good food, so this was perfect,” he said.
Mr. Tan, who works for an American bank in Hong Kong, is not in the market for top wines of the kind sold by Sotheby’s and Christie’s. The most expensive wine he ever had was an Italian red that cost about 800 Hong Kong dollars. But his eagerness to learn and branch out — his favorites now are Riojas and New Zealand pinot noirs — exemplifies the shift that is happening among Asian wine lovers.
“In the beginning, many of those who signed up for our activities knew very little about wine,” said Marjolaine Roblette-Geres, L’École du Vin’s representative in Hong Kong. “Now, many already know quite a lot, and they want to broaden their knowledge,” she said, adding that the school was considering offering classes in Beijing and Guangzhou, in neighboring mainland China.
All this gives wine experts the confidence that Asian buyers will continue to spend big on wines, despite the fading growth momentum in many of the region’s economies. “We still dream of the highs of 2010 and 2011,” said John Kapon, the chief executive of Acker Merrall. “But 2014 got off to a good start, and greater China remains the No. 1 driver of the global market.”,。”(更多資訊請瀏覽中國進(jìn)出口網(wǎng))
