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A true wine lover never - or only rarely - talks about alcohol, much rather about the terroir, the nose, the palate, the finish... Only when the balance is not right, then they grumble. For example: "...only berry juice and alcohol remain in the mouth...". ("Vinum" about Haut-Beauséjour, 2005). In fact, the range of alcohol in wine is relatively small. Only from 8.5 percent alcohol by volume can one speak of wine, and more than 16 percent can never be reached (the natural fermentation stops beforehand), unless the wine is fortified (like port wine, for example). So it's all about the ominous 6 percent alcohol by volume that is under discussion in wine. Opinions are divided on these few percentages.

Alcohol in wine. In France, every alcohol advertisement must be accompanied by a health warning.

In the context of our society's prohibition mania, alcohol is not spared either. "L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé. A consommer avec modération" (The abuse of alcohol is dangerous for health. Consume moderately), this must already be written on every advertisement for alcoholic beverages in France. Soon it will be on every bottle. In this environment, the high-proofs are having a particularly hard time. Gone are the days of tough men, gone is the fantasy of "hard drinks and cool cowboys". Forgotten and overcome? The mood has changed: exotic beauties, a pleasant feeling, a party atmosphere, a conspiratorial community and, last but not least, a hint of legal drug consumption. This is how the spirits, the high-proofs, present themselves today.

A special atmosphere in the hall with the focus on spirits.

Hall 7a at the international trade fair for wine and spirits, ProWein in Düsseldorf, clearly showed the trend. There is a very special atmosphere in this hall (with a focus on spirits). Nothing of wine bliss, no crowds, rather quiet communication, distinguished, reserved tasting, as if the high alcohol percentages demand special reverence. Reverence? More like relaxation, a pinch of party feeling, styling and fun. You might even imagine yourself slightly tipsy, but not drunk. Whisky, rum, cognac, vodka, liqueur, gin... even the once outlawed absinthe court favour and affection. ProWein is a trade fair, not a public fair, so it is not intended for the end consumer. Trends are set, business is transacted, new trade partners are sought, promotions are prepared, consumer moods are researched, the pulse of the times is felt in matters of alcohol...

A feel-good atmosphere in Hall 7a.

Life in Hall 7a pulsates differently than in the other six halls. But how? The same fight for attention as everywhere else, similar slogans and advertising slogans. And yet there is a completely different atmosphere. Is it because of the predominant pink colours, the lighting, the carpets laid out? Or is it simply that people here are more reserved because they know only too well that alcohol as a drug is much closer to high-proof alcohol? Is it because the alcohol laws for spirits are usually much stricter than for wine and beer, especially with regard to advertising? In Switzerland, for example, no discounts may be promised for spirits, no "happy hours", two-for-one parties, mezzoprezzo or all-inclusive events may be offered. Reason: addiction prevention.

Instead of hard men - sexy women.

But that's not what a trade fair is about. It's more about sales, business, contracts, distribution channels - and of course also about quality, conditions, attention and business relations. But all this can only flourish in an atmosphere appropriate to the product. And this ranges from noble, grand-old, black to seductive, trendy, sexy. I am fascinated by the idea that here - in Hall 7a - not only products are presented, but also feelings of life: Wealth, holidays, happiness, toughness, dreams, luxury, well-being, even wickedness. With rum, the Caribbean appears, beach, sun, but also revolutionary romanticism. Vodka brings the cold, cognac the well-being, wellness - whisky the firewater of the Wild West or the Scottish Highlands, Fernet Branca a bitter Italian secret...

Even absinthe, once frowned upon, is now prominently represented.

I stroll past the oases of high-proof spirits much longer than planned. What I usually do at wine fairs doesn't occur to me at all: tasting, tasting. Here I'm looking for something else. But what? As I write this column, a television programme is playing in the background. The encounter of old and young is the theme of an amateur theatre. I don't watch, hardly listen. But suddenly I sit up and take notice: A grandfather and his granddaughter are talking about their time at a bar. "What would you like to drink?" the waiter asks. The teenager: "A Red Bull!", the grandpa: "A whisky". Spontaneously I add: "Maybe even a "Flügerl" or "Gummibärchen" (Red Bull with vodka) for the young lady and a Whisky-Cola for the older gentleman." Now I know why my walk through Hall 7a took longer. It was an encounter with high-proof zeitgeist, and you don't recognise it at first glance, but you can sense it long before you are aware of it. A world between whisky-cola and jelly bears.

Sincerely
Yours sincerely

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