Abstract
China is fast becoming the world’s largest importer of wine; moreover, in 2016 its vineyard surface area was second only to that of Spain. Although still facing challenges in high-quality winemaking, Chinese consumer habits have changed, and many are now aware of the specific varieties and features of wine. This chapter provides an overview of recent trends in production and consumption, before focusing on Chinese terminology with cross-reference to Italian Sommelier Association classifications regarding the all-important chromatic and olfactory aspects of wine tasting. The present scenario also offers an occupational opportunity for learners of Chinese, and the final part of the chapter focuses on didactic applications with suggested classroom activities for language learning through wine tasting.
Song of Liangzhou
Good grape wine glistens in
a cup that glows in the night.
Before we can drink
the pi-pa summons us to mount.
Don’t laugh, my friend, should I
lie drunk on the battleground.
Since ancient times, how many soldiers
have ever returned to town?
Wang Han (687–726)*.
*This poem appears in the famous collection of Tang dynasty verse, Tang shi sanbai shou. The English version is by Chang (2007: 382).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Pinyin transcription and characters will be used the first time each term occurs.
- 2.
In the past, a tastevin (pǐnjiǔdié 品酒碟 or shìjiǔdié 试酒碟) was used to contain the wine for tasting, but it has since been replaced by glass. See AIS (2012a).
- 3.
- 4.
The wine card produced by the AIS is an example of this.
References
AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier). (2012a). Il mondo del sommelier. Milano: Associazione Italiana Sommelier.
AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier). (2012b). La degustazione. Milano: Associazione Italiana Sommelier.
Bulfoni, C., De Troia, P., Pedone, V., & Zhang, T. (2017). Il cinese per il turismo. Manuale di lingua e mediazione. Milano: Hoepli.
Chang, E. C. (2007). How to read a Chinese poem. A bilingual anthology of Tang poetry. North Charleston, South Carolina: BookSurge.
DiWineTaste. (2003). Introduction to olfactory evaluation of wine. Available online from http://www.diwinetaste.com/dwt/en2003013.php. Last access May 30, 2018.
Dizionario dei vini e vitigni d'Italia. (2019). Roma: Gambero Rosso.
Kupfer, P. (2010). Wine in Chinese culture. Historical, literary, social and global perspectives. Berlin: Lit Verlag.
Li, D. (2014). Estate wine to be protected under designated trademark in China. Available online from https://www.decanterchina.com/en/columns/demeis-view-wine-communication-from-a-chinese-winemaker/estate-wine-to-be-protected-under-designated-trademark-in-china. Last accessed May 30, 2018.
Li, H. (李华) (2006). Putaojiu pinchangxue (葡萄酒品尝学). Beijing: Kexue Chubanshe (科学出版社).
Liu, F., & Murphy, J. (2007). A qualitative study of Chinese wine consumption and purchasing: Implications for Australian wines. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 19(2), 98–113.
Masson, J., Sánchez, C., & Celhay, F. (2017). Is mianzi the only face of Chinese consumers of wine? A typology of Chinese consumers of imported wine. International Journal of Market Research, 59(5), 625–654.
McGovern, P., et al. (2005). Chemical identification and cultural implications of a mixed fermented beverage from late prehistoric China. Asian Perspectives, 44(2), 249–275.
Mileham, A. (2017). One third of China’s most popular wines now imported. Available online from https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/06/china-a-third-of-most-popular-wines-imported/. Last access May 30, 2018.
Peng, C. (2015). Business Chinese for local businesses. In J. Trace, T. Hudson, & J. D. Brown (Eds.), Developing courses in languages for specific purposes (pp. 166–175). Honolulu: University of Hawaii.
The International Organization of Vine and Wine. (2017). State of the vitiviniculture world market. Available on line from www.oiv.int/public/medias/5287/oiv-noteconjmars2017-en. Last accessed May 30, 2018.
Vecchio, R., et al. (2017). European consumers’ perception of moderate wine consumption on health. Wine Economics and Policy, 6(1), 14–22.
Wang, N. (2017). China’s top 10 wine importers by volume. Available online from https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/06/chinas-top-10-wine-importers-by-volume. Last Access May 30, 2018.
Xu, T. (许铁松). (2013). Wine taster versus sommelier (品酒师VS待酒师). Available online from http://www.wine-world.com/life/20131205155124175. Last Access May 30, 2018.
Yang, Y., & Paladino, A. (2015). The case of wine: understanding Chinese gift-giving behavior. Marketing Letters, 26(3), 335–361.
Zheng, Q., & Wang, H. (2017). Market power in the Chinese wine industry. Agribusiness, 33(1), 30–42.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Paul Rempel and Yafang Chang for the constructive suggestions on an earlier version of the paper and Antonino Benigno for sharing sources and information about wine in China.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Romagnoli, C. (2019). Mandarin for Wine Tasting: Terminology and a Pedagogical Application. In: Tao, H., Chen, HJ. (eds) Chinese for Specific and Professional Purposes. Chinese Language Learning Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9505-5_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9505-5_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-9504-8
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-9505-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)