2020 – Multimedia Wine Tasting
A new multimedia tasting format!
Even the conservative world of wine tasting is changing
The current challenging times have led me to imagine new ways of bringing a live experience to your home.
Taste Champagne as if you were in the vineyards.
Facing a pandemic and its consequences takes a toll on all industries, even more so in the hospitality related businesses dependent on face to face encounters and physical experiences such as tasting in the wine industry.
Five-years ago and after almost twenty years working in the gastronomy business, I setup a company named Wine Rose. It was the offspring of my personal and long-time quest to deepen my understanding of the world of wine through travel and encounters. I primarily deal with wine purchasing, international consulting,lecturing and tasting.
No need to say that the sudden Spring confinement has put my service portfolio on hold. Specifically, lecturing and public tasting from which derived my consulting and wine purchasing business. Therefore, I had to look at ways to maintain a lecturing and tasting proposition but without a physical presence. This led me to create a multimedia wine proposition that would bear the same content quality I normally deliver through a live tasting, which meant first-hand information and top end wines, that could be consumed at home and on demand.
« A person with increasing knowledge and sensory education
may derive infinite enjoyment from wine. »
Ernest Hemingway
I first produced three series with multiple episodes, where each episode presents a region or an appellation through a multimedia presentation available onlineaccompanied by the home delivery of six selected and commented crus.
As a buyer, the sourcing of rare wines in suitable quantities was a first challenge, in the Barolo series for example I was able to secure vintages dating back to 1980s and 90s. Which explains why certain editions are often limited to 6 certified cases.
Researching and editing the content was quite adaunting task since it quickly appeared that a virtual presentation is closer to a filmed documentary than a live event. I like to say that I was able to interview almost every producer whose wines were presented in the episodes and I was deeply touched by the depth and the length of the exchanges that took place despite the lack of proximity.
Finally creating an out of the box experience that set the standards for what could be perceived as an expensive purchase.
“Wine… the intellectual part of the meal”
Alexandre Dumas
I knew that becoming a self-made producer or publisher in a new segment might not be the fastest route to becoming rich even with limited and numbered copies.
On top of the cost for rare wines, it is a challenge to charge the full 120 hours it took to produce a single episode.
Which leaves me with the pride of having created and experienced a unique new approach for tasting wine at home destined to demanding and literate consumers during lock-down times; and the shared moments of passion, both with the viewers and the winemakers across Europe.
The initial response for the sets that vary between 350 to 700 Euros is encouraging and I have already added by popular demand the additional service of presenting in person at home to friends or guests.
So far, the series span over the regions of Champagne, Barolo, Switzerland and Portugal. In the future I hope to cover all the major European wine producing areas.
While waiting for the next « free » handshake or vineyard scouting I invite you all to keep on nourishing the fire of your passion and remain open to new quality-driven experiences in the ever-changing world of wine.
Connected links
Champagne multimédia séries: program & propositions
For further reading : Union maisons de Champagne
Useful links