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Australia
Heavy drinking is part of Australian culture, especially among working men. The drinking culture extends back to when Australia was used as a penal colony for the British Empire. At that time, binge drinking was prevalent, as people would spend their paychecks all at once on drinking. Alcohol consumption in Australia seems to rise and fall in waves, and may have to do with the changing sex ratio as Australia became and independent country and no longer a dependent of England. Hotels are the major distribution point for alcohol in Australia, and because of this, the government has, at times, put restrictions on the times hotels could provide alcohol. Although Australia has a high enough per capita alcohol consumption level to be in the top twenty alcohol consumers in the world, it is well behind countries like Italy and France in per capita consumption. It has the highest per capita alcohol consumption among the English speaking countries. Based on studies done, age and gender provide major distinctions in relation to alcohol consumption. Women and older individuals tend to consume less alcohol. Wine is the second most popular drink in Australia, behind beer. There have been recent decreases in per capita consumption, although until these decreases, alcohol consumption has generally increased. The Aboriginal population is a specific sect of the population that has unique drinking trends. Beer has been the drink of choice among this population, but the introduction of larger and more easily carried and shared containers of sweet white wine have rivaled beer over the last 25 years. Youth in Australia tend to start drinking at a young age, but there have not been sufficient studies to show any specific trends. |
India
India represents a much more fractionalized culture when it comes to alcohol consumption, and so there are no real, general drinking trends. Initially, distilled spirits were the drink of choice among Indians, however, that demographic began to change as beverage alcohol gained in importance, and has continued through the present. The initial drive to drink came from the returning fighters from WWI, who had learned to drink for their western counterparts. There have been many periods of turmoil in relation to alcohol in India, mainly due to prohibition in certain states and conflicting laws. Alcohol in India has never been a normal part of social life, and thus has developed differently than other wine drinking countries. Alcohol has been associated with the occasions of divorce, widow remarriage, elopement, and death, relating the negative side of the drink. Tribes in India have used alcohol in certain ceremonies, but these are inconsistent across groups. Palm wines are one of the main drinks consumed by these tribes. There are also religious practices among the different groups in India that involve drinking for various purposes. Alcohol consumption has increased as the current youth generation comes of age and is exposed to a more western world. This new generation is also more and more experiencing social and peer pressures to drink. At the same time, the traditional family provides for the initial socialization of alcohol. The caste system in India also creates an interesting dynamic as different castes have different rituals involving drinking. All in all, Indian demand for alcohol is growing, and the wine industry sees this as a market with tremendous potential. |
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China
Alcohol has been and continues to be an important part of Chinese culture, being a part of many religious practices and secular rituals. Alcohol is important in the marriage rituals and customs, as well as in order to facilitate hospitality. There exist varieties of drinking. Ritual drinking is very important, and milk wines are often part of these practices. Festive drinking occurs around holidays and features many local alcohols. Recreational drinking is used as a means of stimulation, and also uses many local alcohols. Medicinal drinking, which is when alcohol used for health reasons, most often involves rice and grape wines. Finally, moral drinking is said to be good for ones welfare and well-being, and may involve the use of any alcohol. Although wine is not the specific drink used in all of these types of drinking, this describes the general drinking culture of China, which has recently become a market targeted by the wine industry.
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