VOA标准英语2013--California Winemakers Target China

 

California Winemakers Target China

Producing Napa Valley wine is a highly skilled craft, and Chinese consumers are developing a taste for it, says Tom Hinde of Yao Family Wines, started by former Chinese basketball star Yao Ming.  

"We've made five vintages together," Hinde said. "Actually, we're working on the 2013 right here.  You can see that these grapes will be ripe sometime this fall, and we get to do it all over again.”

This is a small winery with a high-end product. Hinde strolls through its vineyards in Napa Valley, closely examining clusters of grapes.  He says all are Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, since the Chinese prefer red wine.  The winery's premium¹ cabernet sells for $625 a bottle.

Napa's Black Stallion Winery also looks to China as a promising² market, says the winery's Holly³ Evans.

“Most of our wine is sold here at the winery, although we do have two wines, a Black Stallion Estate Chardonnay and Cabernet, which are sold throughout the United States as well as in China,” she said.

Many moderately priced wines are also exported to China, including some from the San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles.  Fifteen percent of its production goes there.

Linsey Gallagher of The Wine Institute says the group receives constant inquiries⁴.

“About 90 percent of those are coming in about China these days, and so it's a fascinating opportunity in China right now,” she said.

But she says China is a marketing⁵ challenge.

“They know a lot of the aspirational⁶, iconic things about California, whether that's Hollywood in Southern California or the Golden Gate Bridge in Northern California or our previous governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger," she said. "By and large, they have no idea that California is the fourth largest wine producing region in the world and makes great quality wines at all price points.”

Winemakers hope to broaden the Chinese palate, and expand the market for fine dry wines, including whites, which are now a small part of the market.

Adam Beak⁷ of Bank of the West says the winemakers he works with are competing with European companies, which entered the China market decades ago.

“And they've developed a brand there.  They've developed a name, especially for the French companies on the fine wine side, they're developed a real strong market presence," he said. "The U.S. is still in its infancy⁸.  We're still doing the basic pick and shovel⁹ work to get our name out there.”

Yet China's middle class is growing fast, and Tom Hinde of Yao Family Wines is optimistic that more Chinese consumers will develop a taste for imported wine.

“They'll want to drive certain cars, and they'll want to live in certain types of apartments and houses, and they'll want to wear certain clothes and enjoy certain types of wines,” he said.

And he hopes many of those wines will come from California. 

1 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

4 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

7 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

8 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

9 shovel   

n.铁锨，铲子，一铲之量；v.铲，铲出

参考例句：

• He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
• He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。