Asian consumers struggle to understand traditional Western wine language
May 28, 2009
By Suzannah Ramsdale
Asian consumers struggle to grasp traditional Western wine descriptions, says Jeannie Cho Lee MW.
Writing in this month's Decanter, Cho Lee explains that wine writers need to discover new ways to communicate with Asian wine drinkers, but that it may take two generations to come up with a language that is relevant and meaningful to Asian wine lovers.
The traditional Western language of wine has been subject to inaccurate translations and means little to many Asian consumers, according to Cho Lee.
When it comes to the Asian palate there is a need for more familiar reference points which relate to their cuisine and dining habits.
For example, wine drinkers in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore appreciate the subtle elements in mature fine wines, which share the same restrained characters as some of the most-sought after ingredients in Asia such as sea urchin, Kobe beef and shark's fin.
Similarly, the tolerance level for tannins varies depending on whether the consumer is a regular drinker of tea or bitter vegetables such as ginseng and radish. For those people, full-bodied tannic red wines are extremely enjoyable.
Cho Lee points out that while wine drinkers in the West may describe a Shiraz as having notes of black pepper, liquorice, game and bacon fat, Asian consumers will refer to Tandoori spice, roasted goose or char siu (barbecued pork).
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I was fascinated by this topic. Fine journalism, but there's of course much more to the story.
It would in many ways be short-sighted of Westerners to ignore the problem of culturally-relevant wine descriptors. The problem under discussion in the article should suggest to us that the language that is used by us to describe wine sensations is too standardized and too limited. A help in the direction of pointing out new terms, even if it means broadening our cultural perspectives by tasting wine with those of differing backgrounds, is a resource not to be ignored all of us. Such an experience is liable to spark our own imagination and remove some of the limitations and overly imitative language we use to describe wine.
For instance, when describing Gewurztraminer, can I find terms other than lychee, rose water, orange zest, and spices? Yes, Mosel Riesling tastes of peaches, mango, and sometimes petrol. But have we fallen into a trap? How would we describe such wines if we had never been exposed to them, or the routine tasting language we often use, ever before?
I'm suggesting that this is not simply a problem for Asians, and the answers they find will be of great interest to the whole wine world. So I hope that they will be open to sharing their discoveries with us!
John Trombley
How timely that this article coincides one of the topics in my blog where I wrote about wine tasting, Asian style.
As a wine lover of Asian origin who moved to Canada in 1977, I remember the earlier difficulties I had relating to the aromas describe in various wine notes and tastings. Not one to give up, I finally started using familiar aroma and flavour profiles based on the food I know. This approach has helped me overcome the ongoing Western wine descriptions that dominate most wine journals.
Now that I am a wine importer based in Hong Kong, I am very aware of the challenges Asian wine consumers face when it comes to wine tasting. Which is why it is my goal to help the growing market develop their own wine tasting style, using what aromas and flavour profiles that they already know, and not be intimidated by foreign descriptions. I invite fellow wine professionals in the region to unite and create our own unique wine tasting approach, Asian style.
Leo Baduria, Portfolio Asia Wine & Spirits Ltd
I am a North American who has now been living and working in Asia for the past 16 years, and I can understand the challenge regarding western terminology. One of the many fascinating things about Asia are the myriad of smells, all very distinct in every country.
Northern Asia tends to favor cigarettes, fish, soy sauce, and moth balls...while southern Asia has more fruit and garlic and an occasional wiff of open sewer combined with the above. Oh, and don't forget a dash of carbon monoxide lingering in the background...
LG King, Bangkok, Thailand
We do not have to go so far afield to confuse taste descriptions. I have a wine distribution company in Spain where nobody has ever tasted a pear drop, although English wine tasters will often be able to identify that unmistakable taste in young red wines.
Spanish Sauvignon Blancs are getting better by the day, but nobody has ever tasted a gooseberry, and here the summer hedgerows smell of pine, eucalyptus and hot sandy earth, as opposed to warm,maybe slightly damp grass, nettles and almost anything green.
Charlotte Rodriguez, Spain
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