Why China’s billionaires are now the toast of Bordeaux

Asked once about how he became China’s richest businessman, Jack Ma said the secret to success was investing in young and up-and-coming ventures.

曾有人问马云，他是如何成为中国最富有的商人的，马云说，成功的秘诀是投资年轻的和成长中的企业。

Luckily for the anxious vintners of France’s Bordeaux region, however, the billionaire web tycoon also has a soft spot for the old and venerated - at least when it comes to fine wine.

但是焦急的法国波尔多地区酒商很幸运，这名亿万富翁互联网大亨也对历史悠久和尊贵的东西情有独钟——至少对于上好的葡萄酒是这样的。

In a move that France hopes will reverse a slide in the fortunes of its top winemaking area, Mr Ma is leading a massive Chinese scramble to buy up dozens of high-end chateaux to satisfy his country’s growing thirst for top vintages.

马云率领一支庞大的中国队伍投资高端的波尔多产区，以满足中国对顶级葡萄酒与日俱增渴求，这一举动也迎合了法国反转其顶级酿酒区走下坡路现状的希望。

Far from simply snapping up a few crates of Chateau Lafite Rothschild at 20,000 pound a bottle, Mr Ma shelled out 12m pound last month for the Ch?teau de Sours, an elegant 16th century estate in Entre-Deux-Mers.

远不是以2万英镑一瓶的价格抢购几箱拉菲古堡而已，马云以1200万英镑的价格买下了两海之间的一块优雅的十六世纪地产萨尔斯城堡。

What is more, on his recent visit to France, he also brought along a few wine-drinking billionaire chums, who between them now plan to buy up at least 30 more of the region’s wine houses.

更重要的是，在他最近访问法国的行程中，他还带了几个爱喝酒的亿万富翁朋友，他们现在计划购买至少该地区30座以上的葡萄酒房子。

"They intend to acquire 20 properties this year and 30 within two years", a source close to the dealmaking said.

“他们打算近年收购20座房子，两年内30座”，据该交易的一个密切消息来源说。

The deals could not come at a better time for Bordeaux’s wine makers, who saw sales slide by 17 per cent in Europe last year, and who are facing competition from cheaper - but equally delectable - New World rivals in California and Australia.

这些交易对波尔多的酒商来说不会有更好的时机了，因为酒商们去年在欧洲的销售量下滑了17％，他们面临着来自新世界产地加利福利亚和澳大利亚的更便宜但同样品质上佳的葡萄酒的竞争。

Luckily for Bordeaux, however, Mr Ma’s championing of the new and innovative does not appear to apply too rigously to his tastes in wine.

对于波尔多来说幸运的是，马云对新兴和创新的支持没有太影响到他的葡萄酒品味。

For with wine still very much a status drink in newly-wealthy China, a bottle of top-end Bordeaux is likely to go down far better at a rich guest’s dinner table than a more competitively priced Chilean from Tesco’s - even if the taste difference is not that much.

葡萄酒在富裕的新中国仍然是一个象征地位的饮品，一瓶顶级波尔多对于富贵的宴请来说可比在乐购超市买来的一瓶价格实惠的智利酒要尊贵得多，虽然口味也相差无几。

So it is that China continues to be Bordeaux’s top foreign wine market, with sales going up by 31 per cent last year to a new record of 64 million bottles.

因此中国继续成为波尔多的顶级外国葡萄酒市场，去年销售额上升了31％，创下了6400万瓶的销售记录。

"The number of Chinese who can afford to buy imported wine at say a Euro 28 per bottle has actually doubled in the past three years from 17 to 38 million," said Suzanne Mustacich, author of the book Thirsty Dragon: China’s Lust for Bordeaux.

“在中国，买得28英镑一瓶的进口葡萄酒的人数在过去三年翻了一倍，从1700万到现在的3800万人，”讲述中国对波尔多葡萄酒情有独钟一书《渴望之龙》的作者苏珊娜·玛斯塔希说。

Speaking of the chateaux purchases, she added: "They’re protecting their money, they see it as a safe bet and they want a beautiful building, a slice of history. It’s a great bling purchase for them."

说到对酒庄的收购，她说：“这是保护钱财的一种做法，他们认为这是一个安全的赌注，他们想要一座漂亮的建筑，想要一片历史的痕迹。这对于他们来说是一项巨大的奢侈品购买。”

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来源:英语新闻网爱语吧作者:Sylvia