经济学人116:葡萄酒之劫 正在流失的谜案

 　　Business Wine vandalism Draining mystery

　　商业 葡萄酒之劫 正在流失的谜案

　　Who pulled the plug?

　　谁拔掉了瓶塞？

　　BY THE time Gianfranco Soldera realised something was awry¹, it was too late.

　　当Gianfranco Soldera意识到有些不对劲时，已为时太晚。

　　"I rushed down into the cellar and all ten barrels of Brunello from the 2007 to 2012 vintages were open and the wine had gone off down the drains."

　　"我匆忙跑下酒窖，但见全部十桶装有2007-2012年份的布鲁耐罗葡萄酒的橡木桶打翻在地，桶内的葡萄酒也已流干殆尽"。

　　On the night of December 2nd someone broke into Mr Soldera's estate, emptied the massive oak casks of 62,600 litres of one of the world's great wines and left without stealing a thing.

　　12月2日夜晚，有人闯入了Soldera先生的庄园，倒空了装有62,600升世界顶级葡萄酒的巨大橡木桶，然后悄然离开，不取分毫。

　　Why is a mystery fit for Andrea Camilleri's fictional² Sicilian detective, Inspector³ Montalbano. On Sicily, the explanation would be obvious:

　　这个谜案正好留给安德列?卡米莱笔下虚构的西西里侦探芒塔尔班来解决，在西西里岛，此案动机显而易见：

　　Italians immediately compared the attack on Mr Soldera's estate, known as Case Basse ("Low Houses"), to those on wineries confiscated⁴ from the Mafia.

　　意大利人立即就把受袭击的Soldera先生庄园，即Case Basse酒庄（矮屋）和从黑手党手中没收的酒庄联系到了一起。

　　But Brunello comes from vineyards around Montalcino in Tuscany—a place where,

　　然而，布鲁耐罗是来自托斯卡纳区蒙达奇诺附近的葡萄园。

　　as the mayor noted⁵, people still go out "leaving the key to the house in the front door".

　　该地区是一个被市长称为 "人们外出都是把钥匙挂在前门"的地方。

　　The 75-year-old Mr Soldera is not a Tuscan.

　　现年75岁的Soldera先生不是托斯卡纳人。

　　He was born near Venice. After a career in insurance, he arrived in Montalcino in the early 1970s to find the perfect spot for Sangiovese, the only grape allowed in Brunello.

　　他出生在威尼斯附近。在从事了一份保险工作后，20世纪70年代初期，他来到了蒙达奇诺，发现了这个适合种植桑娇维赛葡萄的理想之地，桑娇维赛葡萄也是被用来酿造布鲁耐罗葡萄酒的唯一葡萄。

　　He began producing 10,000-15,000 bottles a year of a light-bodied, floral, long-lived red that nowadays retails on release in Italy at up to

1 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

2 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

3 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

4 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。