China News Service, Yinchuan, October 13th. Title: Fading the "spring and snow" filter: wine embraces the fireworks of the market and the wave of young consumption
China News Service reporter Li Peishan
In the past, wine was often labeled as high-end and professional, bound to winery tastings and business banquets. Nowadays, from the splendid red wine and coffee market, to the friendly table wines that are suitable for daily meals, to the wine special blends with various flavors, wine is breaking out of the inherent impression of "spring and white snow" and moving into public life, starting the transformation of scenes, products and concepts under the wave of young consumption.
From October 12th to 16th, the 47th World Grape and Wine Conference and the OIV Member State Congress were held in Yinchuan, and the 6th China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo was held at the same time. In the red wine and coffee lifestyle market of the expo, the aroma of coffee and the fruity aroma of wine fill the air, and food, art installations, and stamp collections are intertwined. Citizens and young tourists visiting the market can feel the charm of wines from all over the world by checking in, taking photos, and tasting special blends without any professional knowledge.
"Traditional exhibitions are more oriented to industry merchants and professional purchasing groups. We hope to break the barriers and let wine go out of wineries and professional exhibition halls and into the daily lives of citizens." Li Jun, director of the Management Committee of the Wine Industry Park at the Eastern Foot of Ningxia Helan Mountain, said that the lifestyle market focuses on ordinary consumers and completes the cultivation of mass consumption.
In the market, innovative attempts are dispelling the sense of distance between wines. Many bartenders have created special blends based on Helan Mountain Donglu wine to amplify the fruity aroma of berries and weaken the astringency of tannins, making it easy for novices to drink. The market also differentiates between soft and fruity entry-level wines and richly layered advanced wines, and provides tastings of original wines.
Barista Sang Haoxun from Lanzhou brings cross-border creativity. In addition to creating the first tsampa latte, he is also exploring the fusion of brandy, wine and coffee. He believes that the two also pay attention to terroir and flavor levels, and putting them in the same consumption scenario lowers the threshold for wine experience. This is the first time for many wineries to participate in this kind of lifestyle market. They bid farewell to professional exhibitions that connect with merchants, and face ordinary consumers directly. In a relaxed atmosphere, the public can see the lively and friendly side of the wines from the eastern foot of Helan Mountain.
The experience of visitors to the exhibition confirms the changes. Many tourists originally thought that wine was only suitable for formal dinner parties, but drinking it while shopping and pairing it with food and coffee refreshed their understanding. There are also interactions such as collecting stamps and checking in to integrate wine knowledge into the play process. Wang Yan, a tourist from Shanghai, said that she would like to choose local Chinese wine when gathering with friends in the future.
"Not all wines are 'white snow'. We need to make Chinese wines 'fly into the homes of ordinary people' and explore the introduction of more table wines and 'people-friendly wines.'" Fang Yulin, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Northwest A&F University, pointed out the development direction of the industry. "The industry needs to be oriented to the public and young consumer groups, and be realistic in positioning wineries and production areas to promote high-quality development of the industry."
Changes in concepts also occur on the front lines of the industry. Han Xiaogang, president of Jilin Tonghua Wine Association and general manager of Jilin Jipu Wine Co., Ltd., believes that the development of the wine industry should not be overly "mythical" and should be grounded. "Ordinary consumers can tell the quality of wine through comparison and tasting, and there is no need to pile up obscure professional theories. Consumption promotion must be in line with Chinese people's eating habits and adapt to local cuisines such as the Northeast and Northwest. Drinking comfort is the first priority." He also observed that some consumers do not want to drink, but "don't dare to drink." The industry needs to reverse this psychological barrier; price is also an unavoidable reality, and excessive pricing will keep consumers away.
Looking around the world, a new generation of consumers is reshaping the wine industry. John Barker, Director General of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), pointed out that the transformation of consumption patterns is a general trend. The new generation of consumer groups is more diverse, changing rapidly, and highly digital. The consumption methods, scenarios, and motivations of wine are being redefined. "Industry transformation has already taken place. Innovation, consumption reform, and sustainable development are important directions. Protecting the cultural coordinates of wine is not only education and promotion, but also listening and learning." He said.
Nowadays, youthful products, coffee and wine cross-border, and lifestyle markets are one of the practices of Chinese wine in response to consumption changes. Wang Li, vice chairman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, revealed that Ningxia will also explore the "wine +" model in the future, linking coffee, food, cultural tourism, and trendy cultural creation. Not only during the expo, more daily urban experience activities will also be implemented to continue to cultivate the soil for mass consumption.
