This article is from WeChat official account:FBIF Food and Beverage Innovation (ID: FoodInnovation), author: Yanyan, edit: Bobo, from the title figure: Shanghai food goods group
In recent years, adding wine to food has become more frequent.
According to CBNData statistics, there have been at least 14 alcoholic snacks on the Chinese market from 2019 to 2020. [1]
2019-2020 alcoholic snacks calculated by CBNData (incomplete statistics)
Picture source: CBNData
This is only preliminary statistics. In addition to alcoholic ice cream, moon cakes and other products, many tea brands are also launching alcoholic beverages, such as the Drunken Drink series of Hey Tea, Luzhou Laojiao and Tea Baidao. Drunk walking on the road” and so on.
Tea Baidao x Luzhou Laojiao “Drunk Steps on the Road”
Picture source: Chengdu Food WeChat Official Account
Under the constant wave of non-alcoholic liquor being introduced by the wine industry, why are snack brands launching snacks with alcohol? What “chemical reaction” can wine and food produce?
1. Jiang Xiaobai flavor changes, Luzhou Laojiao flavor moon cakes… wine and What “chemical reaction” can it have with food?
The most classic combination of wine and snacks is none other than “Bouquet Chocolate”.
As for the earliest appearance of “Beauty Chocolate”, the most common saying is that in the 1700s, the French invented a dessert with cherries and brandy wrapped in chocolate. Later, this concept was brought to the United States, and a liqueur was used instead of brandy, and the cherries were chopped and dipped in alcoholic syrup. The United States even has the “National Cherry Liquor Chocolate Festival” every year.
John&Kira’s Cherry Liquor Chocolate
Picture source: Katharine Pollak
Traditional bonbons often use spirits, one is to extend the shelf life, and the other is to not be held down by the aroma of the chocolate itself. Russian bonbons can even reach about 45 degrees, “greedy” can really get drunk.
With the changes in demand and the development of technology, nowadays, the “filling” of bonbons has been all-encompassing, and low-alcohol bonbons have also become popular. Most bonbons in Asia do not exceed 10 degrees. From the early soaked cherries to liqueurs, to the Teuscher champagne chocolate launched by the Swiss chocolate brand, and the beer chocolate launched by major Japanese breweries, dessert designers have exerted a lot of imagination on the design of bonbons.
Teuscher Champagne Truffle Chocolate, all handmade
Picture source: Teuscher official website
Liqueur chocolate is not only a patent of a chocolate brand, but also a fragrant pastry in the eyes of wine companies.
In December 2018, Luzhou Laojiao launched a planet version of Liquor Chocolate and played a “mysterious power”. The outer packaging is inspired by ancient astrology, and added ancient Greek style embossed patterns. Liquor Heart is injected into Luzhou Laojiao’s customized Luzhou Laojiao liquor with unique technology to maintain a smooth taste. Luzhou Laojiao also introduced the World Cup version, the cured macaron version and other bonbon chocolates.
Luzhou Laojiao Planet Edition Liquor Heart Chocolate
Picture source: Weibo@Luzhou Laojiao China Glory
On Chinese Valentine’s Day in 2016, Moutai’s Liquor Chocolates were launched around the concept of “He Ning” in Chinese Han culture. The shape is a gourd, with a Moutai wine heart added inside, integrating ancient Chinese rituals into the chocolate design, and realizing the East-West fusion of Moutai and chocolate.
This year, Shangri-La Hotel, Wenzhou also created a co-branded “net celebrity” afternoon tea, and launched eleven small desserts made with Maotai, attracting many “fashioners” to punch in.
Moutai afternoon tea launched by Shangri-La Hotel, Wenzhou
Picture source: Weibo@童子佬james
In addition to chocolate, the Liquor Candies from Rokkatei in Japan and Icewine Candies from Turkey Hill in Canada have also become popular souvenirs. The latter is made with Canadian maple syrup and infused with ice wine flavor, which is very Canadian.
Ice wine candy launched by Turkey Hill, Canada
Picture Source: Amazon
Hiroshima is one of the three major producing areas of Japanese sake. “Fatty water does not flow into the fields of foreigners.” Backen Mozart, a long-established fruit shop in Hiroshima, Japan, has cooperated with more than a dozen local sake breweries in a set of “Mingshu Story” jelly. The characteristics of sake brewing adjust the formula.
Part of the famous wine story jelly
Picture source: Backen Mozart official website
In recent years, the “wine + ice cream” pairing has continued to rise. Liulijing’s Wuliangye Jinqiao ice cream, KFC plum wine ice cream, and Shanghai Wanghong ice cream shop FONTAINE’s Feitian Moutai ice cream have opened the door to a new world for netizens.
Wuliangye Jinqiao Ice Cream from Liulijing
Picture source: Weibo@琉璃鲸WHALETEA
When it comes to ice cream made with wine, I have to mention Shaoxing rice wine popsicles that became popular in 2016. The first rice wine popsicles that came out of the circle were the column-shaped popsicles packaged by local tyrant gold. The milk flavor and rice wine have a rich taste and the glutinous rice has a rich taste. As an attempt to rejuvenate the ancient rice wine industry, this product has successfully attracted many young people to experience Shaoxing rice wine culture through rice wine pops.
The “rice wine+” products are also accelerating out of Shaoxing. There is a local “Yellow Wine+” brand Huijingxuan in Shaoxing that specializes in the development of rice wine derivatives, which is exploring “10,000 possibilities of rice wine.” Since its establishment in 2014, it has successively launched rice wine milk tea, rice wine nougat, rice wine double skin milk and other products, and its Tmall store has now launched rice wine popsicles.
Shaoxing’s more famous rice wine popsicle brand
Picture Source: Hui Jingxuan
Our most common alcoholic ice cream is the German-style dark beer pops that can be found in offline convenience stores. It is shaped like a mini version of dark beer. The filling is passion fruit bonbon sauce. Take it out of the freezer and eat it later. , Sandwich will become Liuxin. According to comments from netizens, the brand launched a wine heart ice cream more than 20 years ago. Now it is upgraded and returned to the market, and it is once again welcomed.
German Stout Ice Cream
Picture source: Shanghai Food Group
Alcoholic beverages have attracted the attention of the industry in recent years. According to Kamen reports, KFC’s “+ wine” beverage has increased its conversion rate from 10% three years ago to 26% last year.
In 2020, Nongfu Spring launched its new generation carbonated drink TOT sparkling drink. The rice wine-flavored bubble drink is made of pearl glutinous rice, which is fermented by traditional honeycomb koji. The mellow rice wine is matched with the dense and delicate bubbles, which will make you have an endless aftertaste. Nongfu Spring also emphasized that the alcohol content of this rice wine sparkling drink is less than 0.5%, but it cannot be drunk while driving. After drinking, the dizziness lasts for 1 minute and 18 seconds. Waiting for more than 2 minutes will eliminate the risk of drunk driving.
Nongfu Spring TOT Sparkling Drink——Rice Wine Flavor
Picture source: Weibo@农山泉
The alcohol version of Kombucha launched by the American brand Local Roots takes into account the balance of health and mild habit. Kombucha naturally contains microBased on the original Kombucha, Local Roots adds extra sugar and yeast for secondary fermentation to increase the alcohol content by 6%. In order to make the products have more health benefits, Local Roots uses organic cold-pressed juice and adds milk turmeric, spirulina, probiotics and other healthy ingredients, mixed with Kombucha strains for fermentation.
Local Roots Alcoholic Kombucha
Picture source: Local Roots Kombucha official website
Kirin’s new fruit and vegetable alcoholic beverage launched in September 2020 is to add wine to the mixed fruit and vegetable juice, and the alcohol content is only 4%.
Kirin Fruits and Vegetables + Wine Beverages
Picture source: Kylin official website
Tea companies are not reconciled to loneliness and are playing cross-border. In 2019, Hey Tea launched an alcoholic drink-Drunken Peach Peach, adding “slightly drunken” white rum to the peach juice.You can freely adjust the amount of alcohol at a time.
The Zuibu Shangdao of the local Sichuan tea brand Cha Baidao is a co-branded milk tea launched with Luzhou Laojiao. Each cup contains 3g of Luzhou Laojiao Baitiao liquor. The tea base is Yunnan Chenxiang Pu’er, and milk and milk are added. Cheese modulation, long taste.
In addition, the cooking techniques of cooking with wine have also been applied to meat snacks. Adding wine has the effects of removing fishy, increasing fragrance and freshness, sterilizing and anti-corrosion. Therefore, meat snacks such as grilled sausages with koji wine have been welcomed by consumers.
qu wine sausage
Picture Source: Uncle Piaoling Tmall Flagship Store
Jiuren mooncakes and instant noodles with wine are even more novel combinations.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Aida and Luzhou Laojiao Baitiao launched a “Wine Fragrant Wurenchuan Huang Crisp” in which the five ren were brewed by Luzhou Laojiao Baitiao liquor. After being fully soaked in the Luzhou-flavor liquor, the five-renmian sweet wine inside is mellow and refreshing.
Wine Fragrant Five Incheon Imperial Crisps
Picture source: Aida Le
China Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor(former Public Sales Bureau) produced a series of instant noodles added with Taiwan wine. In 2017, the sales volume in Taiwan exceeded 1,200 Ten thousand bowls. There are 3 flavors of instant noodles: Huadiao cooking wine, Huadiao sauerkraut beef noodle, and sesame oil chicken noodle with red label rice wine. Adding the wine bag when cooking the noodles can increase the aroma of the noodles, and adding it after cooking will make the wine more intense.
Taiwan wine series instant noodles produced by Taiwan Tobacco and Alcohol (formerly Public Marketing Bureau), China
Picture source: Xiaolin & Guo Guo blog
For consumers who don’t like alcohol but are willing to try alcohol, non-alcoholic alcoholic snacks are a more suitable choice.
Spain’s light luxury potato chip brand Torres has launched a sparkling wine-flavored potato chip that uses 1% popping candy to recreate the taste of sparkling wine, and uses 6% sparkling wine to taste sweet and sour and fruity. The wine has a sweet smell and unique taste.
Torres Sparkling Wine Flavored Potato Chips
Picture source: Torres official website
The American candy brand Sugarfina is popular in Xiaohongshu. It is called “Tiffany of the candy industry”. Its dreamy appearance and fragrant aroma satisfy the hearts of many girls. It has launched a variety of tequila, sparkling wine, whiskey and other gummy candy. Rosé All Day Bears gummy with rosé wine Whispering Angel Rosé was sold out on the Internet within 2 hours of its first sale. According to the merchant, they only prepared about 453 kilograms, and did not expect it to be so popular. Although the gummy bears have no alcohol (have been volatilized during the production process), they still have a wine aroma after being bitten.
Rosé All Day Gummy Bears by Sugarfina
Picture source: Sugarfina official website
2. Why do food companies like it? “Adult Happy Water”?
Under the trend of gradual depletion and non-alcoholization in the wine industry, why are these food brands looking at “wine”?
1. Consumer needs of indulgence, pleasure, and sharing
From the perspective of alcohol itself, alcohol is a neurological addictive substance that can make people feel relaxed. A small amount of alcohol can regulate mood. In recent years, with the increasing popularity of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol alcohol, people think that young people do not drink. However, do young people really don’t like wine anymore?
The British medical journal The Lancet reported that the annual alcohol intake of each adult in the world rose from 5.9 liters in 1990 to 6.5 liters in 1997, and is expected to increase to 7.6 liters by 2030. The average alcohol consumption of Chinese adults is expected to exceed 10 liters by 2030. [2]
Biological studies have shown that due to the deterioration of taste, people will change their taste preferences as they age and prefer more flavorful foods. The taste will also change with experience. For example, many people didn’t like tea when they were young, but slowly like tea when they grow up. It’s the same with wine. It is often said that “you can only drink liquor when you are old.” The snacks added with wine leave fragrance on the lips and teeth, which are richer in fragrance and taste, and can give more stimulation to the tip of the tongue.
Secondly, wine is also one of the symbols of entering the adult world from underage. When I was young, there were always children who wanted to drink secretly but were not allowed, and were curious about wine.
Among the top 10 snack trends released by Innova Market Insights in 2018, adult snacks are included. [3]
In Japan, which is keen on consumer grading, even introduced “adult taste” for adults. In our “Secret of the “Adult” in the Japanese food industry, we found In the article “New Inspiration for Consumer Classification” mentioned, Potora, a well-known Japanese ranking website, has launched two polls on “adult taste”, one is “Has the taste changed in adulthood?” 66% said “no change”. The other is “What do you think is adult-like food?” The result showed that 20% of people chose beer. [4]
Japan Glico is making wine-flavored biscuits