中西酒文化对比（1）
A Comparison between Chinese and Western Cultures of Spirits
酒作为一种饮品，得到大多数中外人士的满腔热爱。唐代诗人李白在《月下独酌》诗中理直气壮地说：“天若不爱酒，酒星不在天，地若不爱酒，地应无酒泉，天地即爱酒，爱酒不愧天。”久远的诗人李白用优美的诗歌表达了东方人对酒的热爱，同时也表现了东方酿酒业的源远流长。同样著名的葡萄酒之父巴斯德更是把葡萄酒比做赐予万物生命的阳光。因此，我们很难分出李白和巴斯德谁对酒更热爱一些。
Spirit as a drink is heartily loved by most people, Chinese and foreigners as well. As the romantic lines go in the poem the Solitary Drinker under the Moon by Li Bai, the great poet in the Tang Dynasty: “Should heaven fancy no liquor, the Liquor Star should not live in heaven; should the earth love no liquor, there should be no liquor spring on earth; since heaven and earth are fond of liquor, a lover of liquor will not be ashamed as such before them.” These graceful lines from ancient times, while expressing the oriental love for liquor, testify the time-honored liquor-making in China. Equally noted is the father of wine, Louis Pasteur, who compared wine to sunlight giving life to living things. In this sense, it is hard for us to tell which of these two men were more attached to alcohol.
无论是中国还是西方国家，都创造出辉煌灿烂的酒文化，丰富了人类文化宝库。但是，如果仔细思考一下，就会发现对酒的喜爱虽然相同，但中西方文化之间的差异，却造成了中国人和西方人欣赏酒的角度有所不同，也就延伸出中西方酒文化的种种不同。
Both China and the West have been contributing to the treasure house of human civilization with their own brilliant cultures of sprits. Still, a careful scrutiny will reveal that, for all the same fondness for spirits, the difference between Chinese and Western cultures leads Chinese and Westerners to appreciate spirits from different perspectives, and thus the various differences between Chinese culture of spirits and that of the West.
一、酒种的不同
1. Difference in categories
酒的用料与品类上，中国最具特色、最著名的是以粮食为原料酿造的黄酒、白酒，习惯上称作粮食酒；西方最具特色、最著名的是以葡萄为原料酿造的葡萄酒、白兰地等，不妨统称作葡萄酒。
In terms of raw materials and categories, the most characteristic and celebrated spirits in China are yellow spirit, white spirit brewed with grain, thus called grain spirits; while the most characteristic and noted spirits in the West are wine and brandy brewed with grapes, and we may call them generally as grape spirits.
中国的酒文化源远流长，虽然历史最长的当属黄酒，但最能代表中国酒的莫过于白酒了，从某种角度可以说中国的酒文化酒是白酒文化。因为在中国的诸多酒种中，她历史悠久、工艺成熟、至今为止仍是世界上产量最大的蒸馏酒。
Chinese culture of spirits goes far back in history, but though the yellow spirit appeared as the earliest one, none other than the white spirit is in a better position to represent Chinese spirits. In some sense, it is safe to say that Chinese culture of spirits is the culture of white spirit, for, of the numerous spirits of China, it enjoys a long history, mature techniques and still remains the distilled liquor with the greatest output in the world.
中华文明产生在黄河流域，这里土壤肥沃、气候温和，很早成为农业大国，早在一万多年前中国就与西亚、中美洲成为世界上最早的三个农业中心。中国五谷类粮食产量大、品种多，粮食在满足了人们食用的功能，还有剩余，这为粮食酿酒奠定了基础。
Chinese civilization originated in the Yellow River basin, where the fertile land and temperate climate made China a big agricultural nation every early in history, one of the three agricultural centers of the world (the other two being Western Asia and Central America) as early as more than 10,000 years ago. The great varieties of grain with huge outputs not only satisfy food consumption but allow surpluses, a foundation for brewing spirits with grain.
而被称为西方文明摇篮的希腊地处巴尔干半岛，三面环海，境内遍布群山和岛屿，土壤相对贫瘠，属于典型的地中海式气候，不利于粮食作物的生长，谷类作物产量低，仅能满足食用，很难有富余的用来酿酒。而更喜欢沙砾土壤的葡萄，以其耐旱性和对地中海式气候的适应性而在希腊广泛种植，葡萄酒满足了西方人对酒类的需求。
In contrast, Greece, the cradle of Western culture, located in Balkan Peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides, dominated by mountains and islands, with barren land and a typical Mediterranean climate, disfavors the growth of grain, which has a low yield and can only meet the needs for food consumption and hardly deliver any surplus for making spirits. Instead, grape, more easy with sandy earth and suited to the arid Mediterranean climate, is widely cultivated in Greece. And therefore, the grape spirits satisfy the Western needs for spirits.
二、酿酒工艺不同
2. Difference in brewing techniques
在酒的酿造工艺上，中国主要以粮食为原料，讲究料、水、曲三者统一，采用固态与半固态、复式发酵方法；西方主要以葡萄为原料,则重在讲究料为核心、桶和窖为保障，采用液态、单式发酵方法。
As far as the brewing techniques are concerned, grain is used as the main raw material in the Chinese brew, a unification of the material, water and yeast, and solid fermentation, semi-solid fermentation and duplex-type fermentation are adopted; grape is the main material in the Western brew, with raw materials as its core, wine caskets and cellar as its guarantee, and liquid, simplex fermentation is adopted.
三、酒杯不同
3. Difference in drinking vessels
中国古代酒器以青铜器、漆器和瓷器闻名。中国酒器以形象优美，装饰众多著称。而且中国古代酒器大多是成套出现，其中最典型的就是商周时期的青铜器。青铜酒器中煮酒器、盛酒器、饮酒器、贮酒器、礼器一应俱全。就像现在的茶具一样。后来的漆器、瓷器上面的花纹也是十分动人。另有一些很奇特的酒器，如：夜光杯、倒流壶、鸳鸯转香壶、九龙公道壶、渎山大玉海等。但现在大多数家庭使用的酒具都是西洋酒器。
Ancient Chinese drinking vessels, noted for being made of bronze, lacquer ware and porcelain, with graceful shapes and variegated decorations, most of them coming in sets, are most typical to the bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, classified as vessels for heating, containing, drinking, storing spirit, and sacrificing, just like the tea sets of today. And the decorative designs on the lacquer wares and porcelain wares of the later times are equally fascinating. To top that, there are some exceptionally fancy drinking vessels, such as the Cup of Phosphorescent Jade, Refuent Pot, Mandarin Duck Ever-Changing Fragrant Pot, Nine-Dragon Justice Pot, Dushan Great Sea of Jade, and etc. Drinking vessels used in most Chinese households today, however, are Western ones.
西方酒器多是玻璃制品，讲究透明。这样才能观察出酒的档次高低。西方酒器轻巧方便，现以被大多数中国家庭所接受。西方人注重喝什么酒应用什么酒具。所以他们有葡萄酒杯、白酒杯、红酒杯、白兰地酒杯等。
Western drinking vessels, mostly made of glass, and crystal, make it easy to see the quality of the spirit. Light and easy to handle, they gain general acceptance by Chinese families. And as Westerners attach much attention to drinking different spirits from different vessels, different cups are specially designed for grape spirits, white spirits, red spirits, brandy, and etc.
在酒杯方面中西两方差别较大。而西方酒器现在占明显优势。中国的传统酒器在普通家庭中已十分罕见。
For all the differences, the Western drinking vessels now have a predominant position, and it is rare to find a traditional Chinese drinking vessel in an ordinary Chinese household.
