Drinking for grades

Red wine is the most consumed type of wine in China. In terms of consumption volume, it enjoyed a whopping 74 percent growth rate from 2009 to 2013, according to a joint report released by Vinexpo and The International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR). In 2014, all varieties of wine suffered negative growth as they were affected by China's anti-corruption campaign which banned officials from splurging on gifts and dining extravagantly with public money.

"The Left Cup in China has been as much about the promotion of wine knowledge as it is a means of boosting consumption among future drinkers and collectors," said Fan.

"Everyone has been talking about the wine market becoming rationalized, with young people becoming the main purchasing power and growth engine. But the focus has been mainly restricted to office workers only, while the potential of college students is regretfully ignored," she added.

Ten teams were involved in the Feb 28 final of the Chinese edition this year. They were from some of the most prestigious universities in the country, including Shanghai Fudan University, Nanjing University and Tsinghua University. The winning team, however, was the relatively unknown Zhejiang Gongshang University in Hangzhou, and it will in June compete against seven other teams from Asia, Europe and America in the global final at Chateau Laftie-Rothschild.

"Unlike Harvard or Oxford, top universities in China still have their attention focused on contests in 'serious fields' like science or even singing contests. Wine appreciation is yet considered an art or 'beneficiary skill' by schools, parents and many students," said Zhang Teng, founder and director of China Wine Association of College Students, a non-profit organization based in Shanghai that promotes wine culture in Chinese universities.

Zhang, who majors in oenology at the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, the first school in China to offer oenology courses, was inspired to start the association in the summer of 2014 when he discovered that many of his peers were interested in wines but had little chance to experience it.

The China Wine Association of College Students first comprised students from just six schools. Today, it boasts a membership of about 15,000 students from 31 universities all over the country. Six out of the 10 teams at the Chinese final of the Left Cup are members of the association.

Emmanuel Cruse, owner of Chateau d'Issan in Margaux and the world grand master of the Commanderie Bontemps who led the judging team for the final in China, noted that while there remains a wide gap between Chinese students and their global peers in terms of wine knowledge, young people here are catching up at an astonishing pace.

Last year, the winner of the Chinese edition secured the fourth place at the international competition, the best record so far.

"I want to win, not for the title or prize, but to earn a reputation for wine drinking," said Wang Zhengqing, the team captain of the winning Chinese team this year.

Wang said that the first alcohol he ever drank was Moutai, the famous produce of his hometown in southwest China's Guizhou province which is a major production base for baijiu, the national drink of China. He was only 3 years old then. When he was 8, he got to savor his first sip of wine. Drinking baijiu is a tradition in Guizhou people's daily life.

"I love Moutai as much as I hate the ganbei (bottoms up) culture. So when I was introduced to the world of wine, especially French wine, I have been fascinated by how alcohol can be enjoyed genteelly," said the 19-year-old.

Wang said that his parents remain "somewhere between supportive and indifferent" about his expensive hobby which costs him about 15,000 yuan ($2,170) a year to purchase wine and travel for wine tasting events. He has also started a wine society in school and it is regularly attended by seven other like-minded students.

"Some of my peers like playing video games. Others like reading online romance novels. Me? I just happen to have a penchant for wine," said Wang.

"One day, I want to teach my folks to savor Moutai like how the French savor their wines."

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn