逸香网独家专访怡园少庄主陈芳 2012-04-20

  逸香网独家专访怡园少庄主陈芳  2012-04-20

去年九月，笔者受香港《酒经月刊》总编辑刘致新先生之邀，在怡园小住了几天。感受到怡园美好的环境，尝过了美酒，也和酒庄庄主陈进强先生有过交流。但是可惜的是，陈芳少庄主刚离开，因此无缘得见。这次，由于我们逸香网的“发现中国葡萄酒”专题，网友们一致要求要采访到陈芳少庄主。由于笔者一直在网络上和少庄主保持联络，她很快就给了我答复。可惜的是她人在香港，所以这次采访是通过E-MAIL来完成的。由于她的语言习惯，她的回答是用英文来完成，笔者在翻译过后又将文章发给庄主再重新确认，以求准确。为方便大家参照，同时也附上少庄主原文的回答。
 

 
怡园少庄主陈芳
 
 
怡园葡萄酒更接近旧世界的风格
 
笔者：是什么原因让您的父亲陈老先生会想要在中国建立一个葡萄酒庄？
 
陈芳：确切地说，我的爸爸没有那么老，他刚刚过60岁而已。他建立酒庄是因为他想在退休以后能够非常浪漫地生活在一个酒庄里面。除了上述原因之外，我爸爸的一个非常好的朋友，一个法国人介绍他做葡萄酒，也鼓励和帮助他去真正建立一个自己的酒庄。
 
Judy: Actually, my dad isn’t that old. He just turned 60. He wanted to build a winery as he thought it was quite romantic to retire and leave in a winery. On top of that, his very good friend, a French guy who introduced my dad to wine, also encouraged and assisted him to do so.
 
笔者：怡园为什么最终选址在了山西晋中地区的太谷县？
 
陈芳：我们聘请了Denis Boubals教授，让他去挑选一个在中国适合我们种植葡萄的地方。山西有非常出名的煤矿，幸运的是，晋中没有任何煤矿资源。山西相对比较干燥，有充足的日晒。昼夜温差也非常大。这都是适宜葡萄生长的良好气候条件。
 
Judy: We hired a professor, Denis Boubals, to find this location for us. Shanxi is famous for its coal mines, but luckily, Jinzhong doesn’t have any coal reserves. Shanxi is a relatively dry with abundant sunshine. The day & night-time temperature difference is quite big.
 
笔者：经过这么多年的栽培，您认为这个产地适合哪些酿酒品种的生长？
 
陈芳：现在，我们种植了赤霞珠、美乐、品丽珠、莫斯卡多、白诗南和莎当妮。很难说哪种葡萄品种更适合。因为首先，我们不得不种植比较多的品种，然后至少等待10到15年才能知道谁的表现更好。不过，从现在看来，赤霞珠和莎当妮的表现都非常好。
 
Judy: At the moment, we tested out Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Muscat, Chenin Blanc & Chardonnay. It’s hard to say which grape varietals are suitable. First we have to plant many more other varietals & wait for at least 10-15 years to know.  So far Cab Sau & Chardonnay are doing quite well
 
笔者：这个产地出产的葡萄酒会有怎样典型的风格特色？
 
陈芳：我们的酒不是那种有很多果酱味道的类型。我们的酒更加优雅和平衡。尽管我们换了一个澳大利亚的酿酒师，但是我仍然认为我们的酒更接近于旧世界的风格。你怎么认为呢？你之前都试过他们。
 
Judy: Our wines aren’t big jammy kinds. We are more the elegant & balance types. Although we have changed our winemaker to an Australian guy, I still think our wines are more the old world. What do you think? You tried them before.
 
笔者：我同意您说的，怡园的酒更接近于旧世界的风格。庄主和深蓝尤其给我留下了非常深刻的印象，很有波尔多大酒的风范。
 

 
怡园酒窖
 
坚持精品小酒庄路线
 
笔者：怡园目前的产量是多少？
 
陈芳：去年，我们的产量是300万瓶。我想一年卖出了200万瓶。剩下我们都在酒窖里保存起来，延迟发售。通过这种方式，我们能保证这些葡萄酒放在消费者餐桌上的时候已经进入了适饮期。
 
Judy: We are producing 3million bottles last year. I want to sell around 2 million bottles a year (and keep it this way, the rest is to keep in the inventory. That way, we could postpone the launch date of our wines and only launch the wines when they are more ready do drink. (Do you know what I meant?)
 
笔者：怡园走的是精品小酒庄的路线，其生产能满足市场的需求吗？
 
陈芳：这个很难说。我们持续在生产葡萄酒，但是我猜我们不能完全满足市场的需求。不过，我宁愿让怡园保持这种方式。
 
Judy: It’s hard to say. We continue to run out of wine and I guess we aren’t able to supply the demand. But I prefer to keep Grace the way it’s.
 
笔者：我知道并不是很多地方在卖怡园的酒，那么怡园的产品主要在哪些渠道进行销售？你们对经销商是否有很严格的挑选条件？还会寻找新的合作伙伴吗？
 
陈芳：我们在全中国有5个经销商，是我们的直接代理销售渠道。当我们选择合作伙伴的时候，我们会非常严格。我们选择经销商最重要的一条，就是要求对方要和我们一样具备长远的眼光，建立并维护我们的品牌形象，尽管这样会牺牲短期的利益。我们大多数合作伙伴已经和我们一起合作了超过十年，包括我们的供应商。我们现在依然会保持开放合作的心态，但是不会很积极地再去寻找新的合作伙伴。
 
Judy: We have 5 distributors and our own direct sales channels.We are very selective when it comes to choosing a partner. Most important criteria for us is that we share the long-term vision – building and safe guarding the brand, willing to scarify short-term gain. Most of our partners have been working with us for more than 10 years (including our suppliers). We are always open to discussion, but not actively seeking new distributors.
 

 
怡园深蓝
 
牺牲市场，赢得尊敬
 
笔者：能否给我们回顾一下怡园发展过程中的两个您认为最重要的年份，这两个年份分别发生了什么事情让您记忆犹新？
 
陈芳：2003和2007年对我来说是两个非常重要的年份。2003年，我们第一次将葡萄酒投放向市场。当时我们遭遇了挫折。我永远都记得将一个新的产品介绍给客户，并且被人们接受是多么的困难。2007年是我们酒庄成立10周年，但是，这一年的天气非常糟糕，我们从来没遇到过这么糟糕的天气。那一年，我们只生产了餐酒。尽管对于市场来说，我们做了很大的牺牲，但是我们赢得了尊敬。
 
Judy: 2003, 2007 & 2008 are the three most important years for me.2003 was the first time we launched the wine in the market. It was such a failure and I always remember how difficult it was to introduce a new wine to client and be accepted.2007 was our 10th anniversary, it was also the worst weather we ever encountered. That year we only made table wines. Although it was a big sacrifice on the financial aspect, we gained respect from the market.
 
笔者：在中国有一些酒庄以低价在国际上去参加各种评选，在获奖之后，就提高其市场售价。而据我所知，怡园的高端产品也不超过600元的零售价，有许多人给您提过建议涨价您都拒绝了，为什么？
 
陈芳：我们最贵的葡萄酒的零售价格是488元，就这样，我都认为已经非常贵了。我想做性价比高的葡萄酒，这可以让更多的人能够享用到怡园的葡萄酒。我相信，只有这个方式可以长期地去做一个生意。我们的消费者就像我们的朋友。你不能误导你的朋友。而这种方式也是我们的一个长远发展策略。
 
Judy: Our most expensive wine is selling at RMB$488. I think it’s already pretty expensive. I want to do price-to-value wines, which are able to compete internationally. I believe this is the only way to build a long-term business. Our clients are like our friends. You can’t mislead your friends, and expect that could be your growth strategy.
 
葡萄酒的美妙在于多样性
 
笔者：目前进口葡萄酒在中国市场来势凶猛，您长期生活在香港，我也经常在您的微博上看您品尝各国好酒，反而对怡园的酒比较少具体提及。您怎么看待进口葡萄酒与国产葡萄酒之间的关系？
 
陈芳：我不想把这个做成一种销售。在网上谈论太多怡园的事情，人们会认为那是我在做广告（呵呵）。我爱葡萄酒的一个原因就是因为它的多样性。今天，我喝中国的葡萄酒，明天，我又可以选择意大利的。有时，我想选择轻酒体，更新鲜清爽的干红，有时，我选择白葡萄酒，有时我又会选择香槟。这正是葡萄酒的美妙之处，你觉得呢？因此，我不认为进口酒和国产酒是一个硬币的两面。进口酒从某种意义上帮助国产酒做得更好。而这对中国消费者来说，是一个很好的消息。
 
Judy: I don’t want to be too hard sell. To talk about Grace Vineyard all the time, people will think that I’m advertising .The reason I love wine is because of its diversity. I could have a Chinese wine today, tomorrow, I could choose an Italian. Sometimes I want to have a lighter & fresher wine, sometimes I prefer white, sometimes I want Champagne. That’s the beauty of wine, don’t you think. Therefore, I don’t think imported wines and local wines are at opposite ends. Imported wines definitely help to push local wines to do better. Therefore, it’s only a good news for consumers.
 
笔者：如果有消费者让您推荐一款性价比高的葡萄酒，您会推荐进口酒还是国产酒？另外，您一般什么时候会在酒庄，什么时候会在香港？
 
陈芳：我每个月都会去酒庄。夏天，我会花更多的时间在酒庄里。说实话，我觉得我的人生就像在一个行李箱里面，我总是到处飞来飞去。旅行帮助我有开放的视野。如果不是因为我们的孩子们，我更愿意把我大部分时间都花在酒庄里。
 
Judy: I go to the winery every month. In the summer, I spend a lot of time at the winery. To be honest, I feel that I’m living out of a suit case as I travel all the time. Traveling helps me to stay open-minded. I would love to stay full-time at the winery if it’s not for my kids.
 
坚持长跑习惯
 
笔者：看您的微博，知道您保持着长跑的生活习惯，那么，您坚持长跑多久了？为什么会热衷于长跑这项体育锻炼？
 
陈芳：我在四年以前开始长跑。我要求自己每天要跑10公里，并且把这个作为一种规律。也是直到最近一年，这才成为我真正的习惯。放弃其实很容易。但是我觉得，我开始一样东西，没有完成就去做其它项目，这很不好。因此，我想做一些事情来训练我自己。长跑就是一种挺好的方式。你坚持你自己想要的，你告诉自己要继续。我认为每件事都需要训练。你能训练你的身体，你能训练你的头脑。
 
Judy: I started 4 years ago. I signed up for 10K run and started to practice regularly. It was until the recent one year that it has truly become my habit and passion.I tend to give up easily. I’d start something without finishing and move on to the next project. It’s not good. Therefore, I want to do something to train myself. Long distance running is exactly that. You keep on wanting to quit, you keep telling yourself to continue. I think everything is about training. You can train your body, you can train your mind。

 
培养下一代的葡萄酒兴趣
 
笔者：怡园是一项家族的事业，您的女儿现在对葡萄酒有兴趣吗？您是否会有意识地培养她对于葡萄酒的爱好？
 
陈芳：我不能说我的女儿们对葡萄酒感兴趣，但是至少她们对葡萄酒不会感到陌生。她们每年都去酒庄，她们熟悉酿酒的过程，也认识葡萄的品种。她们经常看到大人们品尝葡萄酒。人们总是喜欢他们熟悉的事情。这是自然天性。如果你熟悉一些事情，你自然就比别人做得更好。因此，我比较早地让我的女儿们接触到葡萄酒。我认为，在葡萄酒这个领域，和她们的朋友相比，她们一定已经走在前面了。当然，我也会有意识地培养她们对于葡萄酒的兴趣。
 
Judy: I can’t say that my girls are interested in wine, but at least they are not strangers to wines. They go to the winery every year. They are familiar with the process, as well as the grape varieties. They see us drink all the time. People like things which they are familiar with. It’s human nature. You are familiar with something, it’s likely you would do better than others. Therefore, I introduce my girls to wines early on. I think compared to their friends, they definitely have a head start. To answer your second question, of course I’m trying to cultivate their interest
 
凝聚团队的秘诀
 
笔者：我有幸去过怡园，并且在里面小住过几天，对于怡园的感受很美好。我身边的朋友也因为我写的游记而喜欢上了怡园。当然，怡园的酒也很让人称道。我知道，您的团队是一个很国际化的团队。您是有什么秘诀把这么多来自五湖四海的人凝聚在一起，让他们为着一个共同的目标而努力？
 
陈芳：我认为有两个原因：第一，我们在做一个伟大的事业——做中国顶级的葡萄酒。同样的目标，同样的热情。每个人都喜欢和优秀的团队合作。我们真的在朝着我们的目标努力。我认为我们是一群疯狂的梦想家。第二，能凝聚这么多优秀的人，我觉得这是我的幸运。我无法向你形容我是多么幸运，有一个全力支持和信任我的团队。
 
Judy: I guess two things:
1) We set out to do great things – producing top-quality wines in China – this draws people who share the same passion. Everyone likes to associate with a winning team. We are really doing what we claim. I think we are just a group of crazy dreamers.
2) Luck. I can’t tell you how lucky I’m. To have a supporting team, to have a team that is willing to believe me.
 
笔者：对于怡园的发展，您的终极目标是什么？
 
陈芳：我希望在中国不同的地方酿造不同风格的葡萄酒，而且我旗下的每个酒庄都有自己的品牌和自己的团队。而且也会继续保持和怡园酒庄相当的年产量。在我们的年会上，每个团队都带来他们最好的葡萄酒，这将是多么有趣的一件事情？！
 
Judy: To make different style wines from different places in China. Each of them would have its own brand and own team. Keep it more or less the size of Grace or smaller. Each team would bring their best wine to compete during our company’s annual dinner. Wouldn’t that be fun?