頂級葡萄酒成爲亞洲買家的奢侈品

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.

香港——六瓶1990年的勃艮第羅曼尼-康帝(Romanée-Conti)上個月在佳士得拍賣，最終以98萬港幣（約合78萬人民幣）的價格賣給亞洲買主。而在一座俯瞰香港維多利亞港的餐廳裏，美國拍賣公司Acker Merrall & Condit以8萬2333美元的價格拍出了一箱由勃艮第巴郎圖(Cros Parantoux)葡萄酒莊園出品的葡萄酒。

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.

精品葡萄酒在亞洲市場中的價格居高，但還是有大量的買家。隨着中國在去年取代法國和意大利成爲紅酒的最大購買者，亞洲買家如今在全球的葡萄酒市場中有着重要的影響力。現在，亞洲地區的客戶在葡萄酒的挑選上也變得越來越成熟、有鑑別力和多樣化。

“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.”

“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，”佳士得中國區名酒部主管譚業明(Simon Tam)在談及拍賣行近期的銷售時說。“這個市場正在極其迅速地成熟起來。”

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.

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，但並不喝葡萄酒。隨着財富的日益增長，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於購買頂級葡萄酒和其他種類的奢侈物品。

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.

香港在十年前的國際葡萄酒領域中還鮮少被提及，而自2008年葡萄酒稅被廢除後，香港成爲了葡萄酒交易的重要樞紐。很多商家在此地開啓了業務，其中包括聲名在外的英國酒商貝瑞兄弟與魯德(Berry Brothers & Rudd)，它的歷史可以追溯到1698年，以及致力於專業領域、專門銷售由法國小型葡萄酒莊園生產的天然葡萄酒的公司La Cabane。

Even in Singapore, where 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.

新加坡的葡萄酒價格中稅收佔相當大的比重，但即使這樣，新加坡物流公司CWT還是在花費兩億新幣（約合10億元人民幣）建造一個高端葡萄酒的儲藏設施，建成後將可以在溫溼度和光照可控的條件下，儲存1000萬瓶葡萄酒。

“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.”

“對於亞洲買家來說，這更多關乎地位——把葡萄酒當作一種奢侈品來享用，”蘇富比亞洲區葡萄酒部主管樓伯禮(Robert Sleigh)說。“他們願意出可觀的高價購買這些直接從葡萄莊園來的酒，並且非常看重酒瓶的外觀。”

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.

亞洲一些國家經濟增長勢頭日趨緩慢，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格爲每瓶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，譚業明說。同時，Acker Merrall所售葡萄酒的平均價格在2011至2013年間下降了大約一半。

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.

在葡萄酒興起的早些年間，買家對自己的鑑賞力還不是很確定，所以只專注於幾個有名氣的品牌。法國波爾多葡萄酒在當中倍受青睞，一度主宰銷售市場。

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, where an initial allegiance to big-name, highly recognizable brands has begun to fade as shoppers have become more confident and individualistic.

相比幾年以前，如今的買家已經將觸角伸到更多種類、不同產地的葡萄酒當中。這一趨勢也反映了其他種類奢侈品消費的現狀，比如包和衣服，最初中意於高識別度大牌的消費者開始變得更加自信並尋求個人風格。

“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.

“曾經有位顧客每週都會從我們這裏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，於去年在香港灣仔地區開張，主要銷售法國和西班牙葡萄酒。

“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.”

“現在，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，他們也開始採納你的建議。”

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.

零售商和高檔餐廳都在加強葡萄酒的種類，並且確保他們的員工熟知各類葡萄酒，以期應對亞洲客人日新月異的口味變化。

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.”

舉例來說，坐落在海邊的香港洲際酒店(InterContinental hotel)中有四家環境優雅的餐廳，各自都聘請了兩位侍酒師。酒店餐飲部的高級經理克里斯托夫·特拉夫尼切克(Christoph Travniczek)說，他們存有1700種酒，每瓶至少價值75美元，而最貴的可以達到幾千美元。客人還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，同時也聽取侍酒師的建議。”

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.

中國擁有將近14億居民，持續推動着全球的消費，尤其是紅酒銷售，因爲紅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，這一數字由Vinexpo葡萄酒及烈酒商貿展的組織者委派進行的一項調查得出，該展將於下月在香港舉行。這個數字相比2008年翻了一倍多。中國同時也是世界上最大的葡萄酒生產國，但大多數出品的質量仍然很低。

Wine fans in Hong Kong, mainland China and elsewhere 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.

香港、中國內地以及亞洲其他地區的葡萄酒愛好者還準備投入相當多的時間和努力，不僅享用飲品本身，還要獲取品嚐及購買決定所需的信息。

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.

卡爾文·陳(Calvin Tan)在兩年前開始着迷於葡萄酒，之後進修了兩門葡萄酒方面的課程，其中一門在法國品酒學院(L’École du Vin de France)進行，該學院於2011年在香港設立了一個辦公室。

“I needed a hobby, and I love drinking and eating good food, so this was perfect,” he said.

“我需要一個愛好，而我又喜歡品酒和美食，所以這是完美的答案，”他說。

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.

陳先生在香港工作，供職於一家美國銀行，他並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值800港幣的一瓶意大利紅酒。但他想要學習和拓展的熱情——他現在最喜歡的是里奧哈(Riojas)和新西蘭黑松果葡萄酒——展現了亞洲葡萄酒愛好者的轉變。

“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.

“最初，那些報名參加我們活動的人對於葡萄酒知道的非常少，”法國品酒學院的香港代表說。“現在，很多人已經知道相當多了，並且還想要拓寬這方面的專業知識，”她說，此外她還提到學校正籌劃在內地的北京和廣州開設課程。

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.”

上述的情況給了葡萄酒專家們信心，即使很多地區的經濟增長勢頭正在減緩，亞洲的購買者也會持續在葡萄酒上花大價錢。“我們還在夢想達到2010年和2011年那樣的高點，”Acker Merrall的總裁約翰·卡邦(John Kapon)說。“但2014年已經有了個好的開始，大中華地區在國際市場中依然是頭號驅動力。”