"Huaxia Wine News" reporter Zhang Yuchen
Recently, there has been an interesting phenomenon in the liquor industry, that is, the overall concept of the liquor production area and the development dynamics behind it have received frequent attention and heated discussions.
Whether it is major exhibitions at home and abroad, or in various media reports, the value and expression of the production area are becoming clearer and more focused. Especially under the trend of saturation of the consumer market, intensified competition, and increasingly diversified consumer tastes, the way of brand promotion with the production area as the core element is becoming more and more popular.
However, it must be admitted that in the absence of unified and strict standards, how to promote collaboration and integration within the production area, how to prevent the duplication and similarity of the brand in the expression of the production area, and how to avoid excessive and simple reliance on the promotion of the production area are still issues that the government, enterprises and associations need to think about and solve.
Therefore, different voices have begun to emerge in the industry, questioning whether the promotion of liquor should focus on the concept of production areas?
Baijiu has a natural connection with the production area
Before answering the question, we need to clarify the connection between baijiu and the production area. Because in the interview, many people will ask that the concept of the main production area is usually not the play of spirits or wines?
But in fact, it's not who makes a concept popular, it's who is the original creator of the concept.
"Of course, baijiu has a concept of region, which is not unique to wine or spirits. For example, the sauce-flavored liquor began to be concentrated in the Zunyi area of Guizhou, Zunyi is a production area, and then subdivided into Renhuai small production area, Xishui small production area, etc.; Sichuan is a large province of strong flavor liquor, which can be divided into Yibin production area and Luzhou production area. Fan Wenlai, the founder of beverage flavor science and a professor at Jiangnan University, told the "Huaxia Liquor News" reporter that at present, there are different views on the classification standards of the industry, one view is to divide the prefecture-level city as a unit, and the other point of view is to divide it by county or county-level city.
But no matter which point of view, no one can deny the inherent bond between baijiu and its production area in terms of the essential characteristics of baijiu, after all, the quality characteristics, taste performance and unique style of baijiu are often shaped by various environmental factors such as climatic conditions, water source conditions, and soil composition in the place of origin.
"Wine, as a product, is the product of fermentation by local microorganisms. Microbial populations are unique everywhere, and while process technology and raw materials can be learned and purchased, the local microbial environment cannot be replicated and migrated. Therefore, baijiu is essentially a local specialty with strong local characteristics. As a product with local characteristics, the concept of its production area is crucial. Zeng Yu, a well-known collector of aged liquor and the founder of Zeng Pintang, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from Huaxia Liquor News that whether it is globally or in China, the quality and characteristics of liquor are closely linked to the production area, and each place has its own unique production area, and China is no exception, which means that we need to return to the core concept of the production area, emphasizing and returning to the concept of the production area, which is a deep return to the root of liquor culture and quality.
Wuliangye Production Area Park (Image source: Yibin release)
Indeed, Chinese baijiu has a long history, and every drop contains profound historical culture and unique geographical charm, which is the crystallization of the natural environment and human history of the production area, and is also an important carrier of Chinese baijiu culture. Whether it is from the cold land in the north, to the hot and humid land in the south, or from the coastal areas in the east to the plateau mountain range in the west, the climate, soil, water and other natural conditions of each place directly affect the taste and quality of baijiu.
There is an urgent need to establish norms and standards
Obviously, the promotion of liquor with the production area as the core concept will not only help Chinese liquor establish a brand image and expand market share in the world, but also better play the cluster effect of the production area, gather industrial strength, and jointly create a competitive group brewing advantage.
"But the production area should not be self-contained, should be led by the industry association; should formulate the production area standards and grading standards (such as municipal-level production areas, county-level production areas, village-level production areas, etc.), according to the standard management and operation; at the same time, the production area should not be a lifelong system, should be re-evaluated once every 5 years or so; to apply to become a production area, should formulate the corresponding production area wine production and product standards, this standard, especially the product standard should be better than the national standard, etc. Fan Wenlai further analyzed and pointed out that the promotion of production areas must be standardized in the process of systematization and standardization.
Sichuan Luzhou Liquor Industrial Park (Image source: Luzhou release)
"Using the platform of liquor production areas, consumers can have an in-depth understanding of brands and products of different styles and sizes in the production area, and the popularity of leading brands can help promote the development of local small and medium-sized brands. It's just that when planning an event, details such as theme, plan, brand selection, venue set-up, etc., are crucial, as great brands are often more willing to work with brands of the same level to ensure equal quality, reputation, and market position. In order to ensure the quality of the event and the establishment of the reputation of the production area and the local brand, the promotion of the production area needs to be carefully planned, so that large, medium and small brands can enjoy the same stage. Li Yanping, a member of the International Wine and Spirit Writers and Journalists Association and co-founder of VinosVivo International Wine Voice, told the reporter of "Huaxia Wine News" that when local governments or media promote production areas, they should screen brands and enterprises with good management, quality and strength, rather than just looking at scale and financial resources.
On the whole, the unique style of baijiu stems from the characteristics of its respective origins, which inherently gives baijiu the concept of production area, and attaches importance to and emphasizes the similarity and high quality of flavors within the production area, which is conducive to the development of the liquor industry.
Don't take the promotion of the production area as a "trump card"
"However, this approach may also limit the diversification pattern to some extent, i.e., the situation of 'a hundred flowers blooming'. Zhong Jie, founder of Sichuan Yuankun Education Technology, pointed out that even though there is rich diversity in the industry, excess production capacity means that not all kinds of liquor can be fully displayed in the market. After all, the market competition pattern formed by the long history is not easily subverted by a few words. At the same time, as the population continues to decline, these trends will accelerate the deep adjustment and transformation of the liquor industry.
"If our wine companies occupy the existing production area and aroma advantages, this is a good thing, but we can't be self-righteous, let alone take this as the biggest core competitiveness, we still have to have a sense of crisis. Because, taking history as a mirror, many wine companies that once occupied the advantages of production areas and aromas did not want to forge ahead, and even withdrew from the historical stage or were overtaken by latecomers. Tang Jinhua, a marketing expert, analyzed the reporter of "Huaxia Liquor News": Only the weak will repeatedly emphasize their own production area and fragrance advantages, while the strong emphasize their comprehensive advantages. In the internal marketing operation, it is necessary to dilute the dispute between the production area and the flavor type, and we must strengthen the building of comprehensive core competitiveness, otherwise it will fall into the competition trap of the wine companies that have occupied the production area and the flavor advantage, and be bound by the shackles divided by others.
In this regard, Wu Peihai, consultant and former deputy general manager of Beijing Red Star Co., Ltd., gave three suggestions:
First, the production area should not be absolute. It cannot be said that all the wines produced in the production area are good wines, and the wines produced outside the production areas are all bad wines. Whether the wine is good or not ultimately depends on whether it meets the national quality standards and whether it meets the taste of consumers. The so-called practice is the only criterion for testing the truth, and in the end it is still up to the market to score.
Second, we must not mystify the production area. In today's highly developed science and technology, it is unrealistic to give a true, accurate and complete explanation of the impact of the production area on the wine, rather than relying on a concept to reverse the market situation.
Third, the production area should not be idealized. It is believed that once this concept is developed, it can give consumers a lofty image, and the resulting sake can sell well.
"At present, the world's most important production area is still foreign wine, but the general decline in sales has taught us a vivid lesson. In the end, companies should start from the basics, focusing on the quality of wine and improving the taste to meet consumer needs. At the same time, we should pay attention to the cost performance, if we are detached from reality, and then engage in some bells and whistles, no matter how good the production area is, it will be ineffective. Wu Peihai said.