姚明和他的葡萄酒庄

Yao Ming makes wine， but he doesn’t really fit in the cellar. This probably isn’t a surprise to those who know him best as the 7.6 feet Houston Rockets basketball player. In fact， during his final season he was the tallest player in the NBA. Retirement has kept him busy pursuing an economics degree in his native China and making wine in Napa. Ming credits Texan steaks for inspiring his wine passion， explaining that， “In Texas， they are famous for their steaks， which are usually paired with great wine. I tried some excellent Napa Valley wines at dinners with teammates and friends， charity events， and other get-togethers. This is when my passion for wine first started.”

Ming took his passion and ran with it， setting up a wine-making team， led by wine-maker Tom Hinde， in Napa and starting Yao Family Wines. It’s tempting to label this wine as just another celebrity bottling—and on the face of it， that’s true. But the real truth is always， always in the bottle. Mr Ming is also Chinese and hence enjoys a deep-rooted cultural appreciation for the importance of balance in all things， even wine. Balance is indeed at the core of Yao Ming’s wines.

Yao Ming said， “When I realized that I might not be able to play basketball much longer， I began to think about things I would enjoy when I was done playing. China was also discovering fine wine at that time， but mostly French wine like Bordeaux. I knew about Napa Valley wine because of my time in the US， so I felt I could help introduce people to something new. When I was presented the opportunity to have my own wine， it was very exciting. I was introduced to a lot of great people， including my current team and our wine-maker Tom Hinde， and I felt it would be an interesting opportunity.”

Yao Ming said that the Chinese people are developing their taste for fine wine， and while French wines have made quite an impression already， people are starting to discover California wines. Chinese wine lovers are eager to learn about wine， they are knowledge hungry. To be given the opportunity to help people in China learn more about Napa Valley is very exciting for him.

姚明酿造葡萄酒，但是他的体形并不适合待在酒窖里。对于那些深知他的人来说，这可能并不会让他们感到惊讶，因为这位休斯顿火箭队的篮球明星身高7英尺6英寸。实际上，在姚明为球队效力的最后一个赛季里，他依然是NBA最高的球员。退役后他过上了忙碌的生活，在祖国攻读经济学学位，同时在纳帕谷酿造葡萄酒。姚明认为德克萨斯牛排激发了他对葡萄酒的热情，他解释说：“在德克萨斯州，人们以喜爱牛排而闻名，牛排通常要搭配美味的葡萄酒。我品尝过几种优质的纳帕谷葡萄酒，有时是和队友和朋友共进晚餐，有时是参加慈善活动和其他聚会。对葡萄酒的热爱就是从那时萌发的。”

姚明带着他的热情投入了葡萄酒行业，在纳帕谷成立了以酿酒师汤姆·辛德为首的酿酒团队，创办了姚氏葡萄酒公司。我们很容易就会将其视作那种只贴上名人标签的装瓶厂——从表面上来看，还真是如此。不过真相永远藏在葡萄酒瓶里。姚明作为中国人，因其根深蒂固的文化背景，深谙世间万物平衡之理。就连对待葡萄酒也是如此。“平衡”的确是姚明葡萄酒的核心要素。

姚明说：“当我意识到我可能无法再打篮球的时候，我开始思考我退役后会喜欢的事情。那个时候，中国市场也在寻求好酒，不过大家知道最多的还是波尔多（Bordeaux）等法国葡萄酒。我在美国的时候，对纳帕谷葡萄酒很了解，所以我觉得我可以向大家介绍一些新的东西。当我有机会生产自己的葡萄酒时，我感到非常兴奋。我被引荐给很多重要人士，包括我目前的团队和我们的酿酒师汤姆·辛德，我觉得这将是个有趣的机会。”

姚明说中国人正在形成对优质葡萄酒的鉴赏品位，目前人们对法国葡萄酒的印象相当深刻，又开始探索加利福尼亚的好葡萄酒了。中国的葡萄酒爱好者非常渴望了解葡萄酒，他们对葡萄酒知识求知若渴。有机会帮助国人更深入地了解纳帕谷葡萄酒，这对姚明来说是件非常兴奋的事情。