While the major wine producing countries of the word are busy trying to figure out what to do to penetrate the massive potential market of wine drinkers in China, some crafty governmental organization in Canada is already colonizing the kitchens and basements of the swelling Chinese middle class.
Figuring that the best way to get people to drink wine is to make it dead easy for them to learn about it, the International Wine Cultural Promotion Association (who ever knew there WAS such a thing?!?) has plans to give over 100,000 wine refrigerators and free wine magazine subscriptions to lucky middle-class families in China. Apparently they’re also setting up some sort of wine consulting organization over there as well to “cultivate more wine collectors among the middle class.”
Apparently they even did a photo shoot to show how successful it will be. I love their smiles, don’t you? That and the fact that the “Canadian” girl looks like she’s about to shove her glass down the poor Chinese girl’s throat.
Of course, what they really should be cultivating is wine drinkers, before they move on to the collectors bit. I wonder how many bottles of decent wine they could have given these folks for the cost of these wine cellars? I also wonder where these newfound “wine collectors” will be buying the wine to fill up these shiny new wine fridges? Technicalities, I’m sure.
Regardless of some daunting hurdles and perhaps a little too much naiveté, I gotta hand it to this Canadian organization that seems to be out to bring wine to the masses. What I want to know is, how do I sign up to be one of the masses? The shipping is a lot cheaper to Northern California folks !
