背景介绍：
尽管法国长久以来以葡萄酒文化闻名于世，但近年来社会观念与消费习惯正悄然变化，显示出法国人对于酒的态度也在逐渐转变。环保和健康意识的提升，使得越来越多的法国人开始审视自己的饮酒习惯。他们更倾向于选择适量饮酒，甚至在某些场合选择戒酒。这种变化不仅体现在个人生活中，也体现在公共政策的制定上，如限制酒精广告、提高酒驾处罚力度等。
Why the French are drinking less wine
为什么法国人喝酒越来越少了
A younger generation is rejecting old Mediterranean habits
年轻一代正在摒弃地中海地区的旧习惯
French schools once prized the nutritional value of wine. So commonly was it served to children that in 1956 the government banned wine in school canteens—and even then, only for the under-14s.
法国学校曾一度推崇葡萄酒的营养价值。就连儿童普遍都饮用葡萄酒，以至于1956年法国政府禁止学校食堂供应葡萄酒，但也仅限于14岁以下的学生。
France was the world’s biggest wine producer last year. A bottle of wine has long been to the French meal what fast driving is to the German motorway: a humdrum habit, national right and personal pleasure.
法国是去年全球最大的葡萄酒生产国。长期以来，一瓶葡萄酒之于法国人就如同高速驾驶之于德国高速公路：一种自然而然的习惯、国家的权利和个人的乐趣。
No longer. In 2022 roughly 10% of French people drank wine every day, down from half in 1980. Back in 1960 the French drank an average of 116 litres of everyday wine per person.
但如今不再是这样了。2022年，大约10%的法国人每天饮用葡萄酒，而1980年这一比例是50%。早在1960年，法国年人均葡萄酒消费量为116升。
Between 2000 and 2018 that shrank from 28 litres to just 17. A glass of wine, let alone the once-familiar pichet, is an increasingly rare sight at the lunch table.
从2000年到2018年，这一数字从28升下降到仅17升。在午餐桌上，一杯葡萄酒都变得越来越罕见，就更不用说曾经熟悉的酒壶了。
What is going on? It is not simply price. A bottle of (rough) Bordeaux can still be found in a French supermarket for under €3 ($3.25). Some village co-operatives sell local produce straight from the vat for €1.90 a litre—less than fresh orange juice.
到底是怎么回事？这不仅仅是价格的问题。在法国超市，一瓶（粗制）波尔多葡萄酒的价格仍然低于3欧元（约合3.25美元）。一些乡村合作社直接以每升1.90欧元的价格出售当地桶装葡萄酒——比新鲜橙汁还便宜。
A better explanation is that a beer-drinking trend is challenging Mediterranean habits. The French now tell polls that they prefer beer to wine. Beer, including craft brews, accounts for more than half of all alcohol bought in French supermarkets. Even in southern France, some cafés serve imported Belgian or German beer on tap.
一种更好的解释是，喝啤酒的趋势正在挑战地中海地区的习惯。据民意调查显示，比起葡萄酒，法国人现在更喜欢喝啤酒。在法国超市售卖的酒类中，啤酒（包括精酿啤酒）占比一半以上。即使在法国南部，一些咖啡馆也提供比利时或德国进口啤酒。
Most important, a health-conscious younger generation is drinking less. A quarter of French 18- to 34-year-olds say they never drink alcohol. Fully 39% of under-35s say that they do not drink wine, next to only 27% of the over-50s.
最重要的是，注重健康的年轻一代正在减少饮酒。四分之一的18至34岁法国人说他们从不喝酒。高达39%的35岁以下的人表示他们不喝葡萄酒，而50岁以上的人中这一比例仅为27%。
Le dry January has entered the national lexicon. No- and low-alcohol drinks are spreading. In an attempt to “speak to Generation Z by adopting its codes”, Pernod Ricard, a drinks giant, runs a marketing campaign with the slogan “buvez plus…d’eau!” (drink more…water!)—although presumably it means in between downing its spirits too.
“一月不饮酒”已经收录进了法国国家词汇表。无酒精和低酒精饮料正在普及。为了“通过采用Z世代的方式与Z世代对话”，饮料巨头保乐力加发起了一项营销活动，口号是“buvez plus…d'eau!”（多喝水！）——不过这大概也是指在狂饮烈酒的间隙多喝水。
Of course French oenophiles—and importers—keep fine wines flowing. Consumption of high-quality wine remains strong. But the decline of cheaper stuff has wider repercussions for France.
当然，法国葡萄酒爱好者和进口商仍在不断推出高品质的葡萄酒。优质葡萄酒的消费依然强劲。但廉价葡萄酒的下滑对法国产生了更广泛的影响。
Last summer the government allocated €200m to buy superfluous low-end wine that producers could not sell. In some areas farmers are ripping out lesser vines altogether. Less booze may improve health, but not necessarily the mood or landscapes of rural France.
去年夏天，政府拨款2亿欧元购买生产商卖不出去的多余的低端葡萄酒。在一些地区，农民正在将较差的葡萄藤彻底铲除。少喝酒可能有益于改善健康，但不一定能改善法国乡村的风情或风景。
重难点词汇：
humdrum [ˈhəmˌdrəm] adj. 无聊的；乏味的；单调的 n. 无聊；单调
lexicon [ˈleksɪkɑːn] n. 词汇；词典
repercussion [ˌriːpərˈkʌʃn] n. 后果；影响；弹回；反冲
superfluous [suːˈpɜːrfluəs] adj. 过多的；过量的；过剩的
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