Un article interessant d'une journaliste américaine de Reuters sur la progression du savoir faire "production" des winemakers chinois.
By Emma Graham-Harrison,
MANAS, China (Reuters) - A slice of onion or lemon, some ice-cubes or a mixer of lemonade are some of the tricks Chinese wine drinkers use to help a glass of red slip down.
The traditionally spirit- and beer-drinking nation only began turning grapes into alcohol on a large scale in the last few decades and is still getting used to drinking the results.
But as the industry matures, and the thirst of China's newly affluent middle classes for wine grows, ambitious Chinese vineyards are trying to educate their countrymen's palates so as to win their cash.
Among the contenders to banish the garnishes that make sommeliers' hair stand on end is Suntime Winery in remote western Xinjiang province. It used 2 billion yuan ($248 million) of investment to import European technology and employs a French winemaker.
"China is a new country to wine-making, particularly out west. Quality is a problem because the industry is young and the vines are young, but there is some good wine," said Suntime deputy manager Robert Wu as he leaned over to smell the Cabernet Sauvignon fermenting in an oak barrel.
Currently massive established firms that invest heavily in publicity, or even promotions including free lemonade, dominate the Chinese market. Though unknown abroad, brands like Great Wall, Dynasty and Changyu are household names in China.
Many domestically made bottles, protected from foreign competition by sky-high import taxes, can be tart and unbalanced enough to make lemonade a welcome sweetener.
But Suntime is convinced that with vineyards on a similar latitude to Bordeaux, top equipment and drinkers' growing sophistication, it can turn a profit by focusing on quality.
The number of bottles downed is expected to rise by around a third this year, Wu says, helped by luxury associations and a relatively healthy image.
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