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Jorge Gomez

Professor Crosby

English Composition 3

24 January 2018

RA First Draft

Three words are enough to paint an image, an expectation of what a product can be

before you use it, taste it, buy it: made in China. Tony Perrottet, a writer for the Wall Street

Journal, wrote the article “Fine Wine and Caviar-Made in China?”, published in December 2014,

in which he blatantly points out the preconceived ideas that Americans have of Chinese products

and quality. Perrottet addresses the stereotype that Americans have through the production of the

Chinese delicacies, wine and caviar, by using realism along with his own anecdotes from his

visit to wineries and luxury resorts, introducing the history of the delicacies, and using quotes of

senior figures in the respective industries in China in an attempt to dispel the stereotypes.

Through this article, Perrottet demonstrates to a wide range of Americans that China is

improving the quality of their products in hopes of persuading them to reevaluate their own

manner of thinking and view of Chinese products.

A good portion of products on American shelves have the words “Made in China” on the

labels which immediately leads Americans to think “crap quality.” In this article, Tony Perrottet

tackles the American stereotype that anything made in China is of poor quality. In 2009, “…

recent scandals about poisoned baby milk, contaminated pet food and dangerous toys from

China” (Economist, 2009) only gave fuel to the fire of the stereotype and increased distrust in

Chinese made products. Although there is a reasonable explanation and a defense for the errors
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made in China, Americans are not so quick to trust or let go of the mistake made by the mass

producer. Within the article, Perrottet makes it known that he had reservations of the Chinese

delicacies that were being served to him. For example, while speaking anecdotally he states,

“…like many uninformed outsiders, when I was first offered a glass of Chinese grape wine…the

first sip is a surprise-crisp and bright, with subtle nectarine flavors.” Through this, he represents

a grand majority of Americans who simply have the preconditioned negative response to Chinese

cuisine. He also explicitly includes the words “many uninformed outsiders” as if to clarify that

he only knows what is told or expressed in the news outside of the actual nation of China. After

trying the wine that was offered to him, he was pleasantly surprised by the taste which is due to

his expectation that the wine was not going to live up to the quality of wine that is presented in

the United States or Europe. Not only does Perrottet express his own biased views of Chinese

products he blatantly says, “The main hurdle is convincing consumers to give Chinese products a

chance-a problem that is particularly acute with wine.” He points out the issue that the Chinese

have to get consumers to try their products, especially in the industry of wine due to its young

age in the nation. Perrottet then proceeds to use the history of now family business CEO Judy

Chan to walk the reader through the process and development of the wine industry, disproving

the belief that everything in China is mass produced and has no sense of originality or anything

genuine. The wine industry is not the only industry that Perrottet mentions but he also mentions

the delicacy of caviar and its introduction to the country. He speaks of the Chinese scandals with

their products as an infection and states that the caviar industry is not yet touched by it; however,

the stereotype still spreads simply because the delicacy is from China, even though it may not be

made there and may be imported. The author proceeds to include a story told to him by Swiss-

born chef Florian Trento of Hong Kong’s Peninsula hotel in which he was offered Chinese
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caviar and even claimed to be apprehensive toward the idea. He even proceeds to quote Trento

saying, “Often we do blind tastings because Chinese products have such a bad rap.” (Perrottet,

13) Perrottet continues to state through the article that the stereotype is prevalent in Americans

but also in other cultures around the world. The stereotype is so deeply rooted in the minds that

businesses must use different tactics in order to get customers to try the caviar. Tony Perrottet

makes it very clear to any reader that the issue of the stereotype that most cultures and people in

the world have of Chinese products affects businesses and the Chinese economy; however, his

article also makes a very strong attempy at dispelling the stereotype and showing that the nation

of China has very genuine, clean methods of producing quality products.

In the article, Perrottet uses realism, anecdotes, and the history of both delicacies in the

nation of China to persuade the reader to question their view of China and possibly reconsider it.

Perrottet refers to what one expects a vineyard to look like and says, “The balcony of the

Italianate mansion overlooks lush rows of grapevines stretching to the horizon, where low

mountains hover in the haze. Picnic tables sit scattered in a garden beneath slender trees that

rustle in the dry wind.” He paints a very vivid image of the beauty and serenity of the vineyard

and China and the similarities between it and one in Europe; however, he also uses the converse

to show that although China has areas of beauty, grand parts of the nation are still

underdeveloped and living in poor conditions. He uses the beauty and the “ugly” reality of China

to prove to the reader that although the country has multiple areas which are underdeveloped, in

regard to certain industries, such as wine, they make sure to use the proper resources to produce

a quality product. Alongside realism, Perrottet goes on to explain the history of the wine industry

in China and mention some of the recognition they have received over the years. He mentions,

“In fact, grape wine was first grown commercially in China in 1892… It was a strong beginning:
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In 1915, the winery, Changyu, won a string of gold medals at the Panama-Pacific International

Exposition in San Francisco.” In the context of history, Perrottet uses his own anecdotes and

details of his travels to properly convey his message that China is increasing the quality of their

products and attempting to stray from the well-known stereotype. The author himself wished to

see a winery in China and made the “pilgrimage” to a winery “located in a rural district an hour-

and-a-half drive northeast of Beijing.” He then provides vivid imagery of the complex and makes

a connection to a “Disney fantasy” to assist the reader in properly envisioning the scenery of the

winery and its whimsical atmosphere.

Tony Perrottet’s purpose for writing the article is to not only change the minds of

Americans, but the minds of people everywhere. He has made it clear in his article that the

stereotype regarding Chinese is widespread not only in the United States but also in Europe and

it most likely exists in other cultures and nations. He states the issue that China has blatantly in

his article, mentions the reason why public distrust runs deep due to incidents in Chinese

production years ago, and goes as far as to mention the tactics restaurant owners must use in

order for customers to try the delicacies or anything from China. Through anecdotes, the history

of the delicacies in China, and realism, Perrottet attempts to build trust with the reader and China

without the reader actually trying a Chinese product or visiting themselves. Through realism and

the brief history lessons, it is as if he is walking the reader through the industry and production

so as to establish a sense of knowledge with is then linked with trust because the reader, or

potential consumer, now knows where or how the product is being made.

Through the tactics of realism, using his personal anecdotes, and the history of products,

Tony Perrottet attempts to dispel the stereotype that most if not all Chinese products are low

quality in people around the globe in his article “Fine Wine and Caviar-Made in China?”. He
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references the effects of the stereotype, the nature of it, and what may have added on to it in past

occasions, constantly refereeing the kind of ideas that most people have due to that.