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"Jiang Xiaobai is not white wine"——The host of Oriental Selection is in trouble again because of his inappropriate remarks during the live broadcast!

Starting from the evening of August 8, the remarks made by Tian Quan, a host of Oriental Selection (HK01797, share price 11.56 Hong Kong dollars, market value 11.92 billion Hong Kong dollars), aroused doubts from many people in the wine industry. At about 3:30 pm on August 9, Jiang Xiaobai issued a statement saying that Tian Quan, a host, made remarks that seriously deviated from the facts in the process of promoting products, misled consumers and dragged down the Jiang Xiaobai brand, infringing on the company's legitimate rights and interests. Therefore, Jiang Xiaobai demanded an apology from Oriental Selection. The incident quickly became a hot search.

Around 7 p.m. that day, Oriental Selection issued an apology through its official Weibo account. The company said: "Our anchors' understanding of the liquor category is indeed not professional and comprehensive enough. We will strengthen relevant training in the future." Before Oriental Selection apologized, anchor Tian Quan published an apology letter on his personal account, saying that he said during the live broadcast that Jiang Xiaobai is not liquor, which caused misunderstanding to everyone and caused trouble to the Jiang Xiaobai brand. It is indeed his responsibility and he "is very sorry."

Image source: Weibo screenshot

However, late at night on the 9th, Jiang Xiaobai issued another statement to "confront" Tianquan's apology. Jiang Xiaobai said that Tianquan's apology letter was posted on his personal Weibo account without his signature or seal, and that he "does not accept this informal and insincere apology." The company will further protect its rights and interests through complaints and legal means.

Image source: WeChat screenshot

What did the anchor Tian Quan of Dongfangzhenxuan say during the live broadcast? Why did Jiang Xiaobai issue a statement late at night saying that it would not accept Tian Quan's apology? The reporter of Daily Economic News conducted an interview on this matter.

Oriental Selection apologizes: training will be strengthened

The video provided by wine industry researcher Ouyang Qianli to the reporter of Daily Economic News:

In the live broadcast of the "Hi Food Festival" of Oriental Selection, Tianquan said that after the "New National Standard" ("Liquor Industry Terminology") is released, wines with edible alcohol added cannot be called liquors, they can be called flavored wines. Then, Tianquan used Jiang Xiaobai as an example and said: "If you look at the packaging of Jiang Xiaobai now, there is no word "baijiu" on it, because it is not allowed."

Tianquan also said that you should look for GB (national standard)/T10781.2, the pure grain solid fermentation liquor mark (small gold label). "If you buy Jiangjin Xiaoqu (referring to the Xiaoqu liquor produced in Jiangjin, Chongqing), there will be no such mark (small gold label)... because it is not solid distilled, it cannot be considered solid (fermented) liquor."

Image source: Screenshot of Tianquan live video

In response to Tianquan's remarks, Ouyang Qianli refuted: "Wine that is added with edible alcohol and edible flavors is called 'flavored liquor', not the so-called 'flavored liquor'."

Image source: Screenshot of Ouyang Qianli’s rebuttal video

Jiang Xiaobai said in a statement that some of Tianquan’s remarks seriously deviated from the facts and caused great damage to the company’s brand image and market reputation.

Jiang Xiaobai explained that all liquor products under Jiang Xiaobai Liquor Industry are brewed using pure grain solid-state fermentation technology. The only brewing raw materials are water and sorghum, and the product implementation standard is the national standard for Xiaoqu solid-state liquor code-named GB/T26761 (superior grade). To ensure that consumers can clearly understand product information, the brewing raw materials, brewing technology (pure grain solid-state fermentation), and implementation standards (GB/T26761) of all Jiang Xiaobai liquor products are clearly marked on the product packaging, without any concealment or misleading behavior.

Jiang Xiaobai said that he has filed a complaint with the relevant authorities, demanding that Oriental Selection make a public apology and eliminate the impact, and will reserve the right to further pursue the legal responsibility of Oriental Selection and anchor Tianquan.

Image source: WeChat screenshot

On the evening of the 9th, Oriental Selection and its anchor Tian Quan made a public apology on Sina Weibo.

Dongfang Zhenxuan said: "We sincerely apologize for the trouble caused to the Jiang Xiaobai brand by the anchor's mistake! Our anchor's understanding of the liquor category is indeed not professional and comprehensive enough. In the future, we will strengthen relevant training and hope to have the opportunity to invite Jiang Xiaobai to the Dongfang Zhenxuan live broadcast room to popularize liquor knowledge and liquor culture to the majority of netizens."

What is the host’s identity as a “Level 3 Wine Taster” for liquor?

Jiang Xiaobai made it clear in a statement on the afternoon of the 9th: "During the live broadcast process, the anchor Tianquan, in his capacity as a 'level 3 wine taster', made remarks that seriously deviated from the facts, misled consumers and discredited the Jiang Xiaobai brand, infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of the company."

In this incident, the identity of Oriental Selection anchor Tian Quan as a third-level liquor taster has also attracted much attention from the outside world.

The video recording of Tianquan's live broadcast provided by Ouyang Qianli shows that Tianquan's title during the live broadcast is also "Chinese Baijiu Level 3 Sommelier". Image source: Video screenshot

The reporter of "Daily Economic News·Song of the Wine" noticed that the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security promulgated 24 national occupational skill standards in 2019, including "wine taster".

According to the National Occupational Skill Standards - Wine Taster (2019 edition), the occupational definition of a wine taster is: "a person who uses sensory organs to evaluate the quality of wine, guides wine brewing, storage and blending, and designs wine."

There are four levels of professional skills for sommeliers, namely: Level 4/Intermediate Worker, Level 3/Senior Worker, Level 2/Technician, and Level 1/Senior Technician.

A wine industry insider who paid attention to the Oriental Selection anchor Tian Quan told reporters that in the domestic liquor industry, wine companies currently have positions such as winemakers, sommeliers, and bartenders in production. Among them, sommeliers are mainly responsible for the "flavor evaluation" of liquor.

Image source: File screenshot

So, what qualifications do you need to apply for a Level 3 sommelier? The National Vocational Skills Standards - Sommelier (2019 Edition) shows that those who meet one of the following conditions can apply for Level 3:

（1）After obtaining the Level 4/Intermediate Worker Professional Qualification Certificate (Skill Level Certificate) for this or a related occupation, the applicant must have worked in this or a related occupation for a total of 5 years or more.

（2）Obtained the fourth-level/intermediate-skilled worker professional qualification certificate (skill level certificate) for this or a related occupation, and had a graduation certificate from an advanced technical school or technician college (including current graduates who have not yet obtained a graduation certificate); or obtained the fourth-level/intermediate-skilled worker professional qualification certificate (skill level certificate) for this or a related occupation, and had a graduation certificate from a higher vocational school in this or a related major that has been evaluated and demonstrated and has a graduation certificate from a higher vocational school with the goal of cultivating advanced skills (including current graduates who have not yet obtained a graduation certificate).

（3）Possess a college diploma or above in this or a related major, and have obtained the Level 4/Intermediate Worker Professional Qualification Certificate (Skill Level Certificate) in this or a related occupation, and have worked in this or a related occupation for a total of 2 years (inclusive) or more.

The aforementioned industry insider said that currently, obtaining the qualifications and certification to become a higher-level sommelier has become quite strict. For example, to go from a level 4 to a level 3 sommelier, several years of industry experience is actually required.

Daily Economic News