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18
Dec
Photo Credit: Wines & Vines
Within one week I received an email from Crushpad announcing their 50ml “test tube” Brixr tasting packs and then a review by Wines & Vines of the Tasting Room’s T.A.S.T.E technology, a 50ml sample that looks like a wine bottle or more like an airplane liquor bottle. What does this mean for wineries and, of course, bloggers, retailers and customers?
First of all, this has got be great for wineries who can now send smaller, cheaper (reduced bottling and shipping costs) samples to restaurants, retailers and <gasp!> even bloggers instead of carrying around and shipping 750ml bottles. Consumers may like it too as they can get a “taste” of a wine instead of making a full investment in a bottle. It appears currently many wineries using the technology are simply transferring wine from 750ml bottles to the new format, which won’t help them save on bottling costs, but the technology is capable of filling the taste bottles directly from the vat as well.
Seghesio is the first winery publicly taking advantage of this new technology and are making the taste-sized bottles available in their tasting room.
Photo Credit: www.brixr.com
What’s your take on this new technology? How is it good/bad for the industry and consumers?
- Published by Ed Thralls in: Uncategorized
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12 Responses to “New Wine Tasting Technology”
Yes, I have been reading a lot about these mini bottles lately. Honestly, having been in the wine industry, it makes excellent sense as a sampler and a way for vintners to get their juice to restaurants, wine shops and yes… bloggers too (you will have to get ready to ’sample’ less quantity Ed). I also love the idea of an easily transportable splash of fine wine. To me, it’s all about the purse size or movie theater size bottle! I’m on board Ed. -SeattleWineGal http://barbaraevans.wordpress.com/
Now were talking, SWG, and thanks for the comment. We can take our mini’s into the theatre or the ballgame, you name it… problem is I can’t swirl without a glass yet… they need to add a built-in aerator too now
I’m surprised this is a new technology, or at least a new technique for the wine industry (perhaps signs of a deeper issue?)
Hesitation is the m.o. for the general wine shoppers because of price, being overwhelmed by options, etc. if you could purchase a swig for a few bucks, I think people are in. It puts wine in a brand new category, impulse buy.
This is an excellent idea! It IS such a waste to open so many bottles at once not be able to finish them! This is why I’m a big advocate of the half bottle… but one taste is even better! Depending on the wineries that get involved, this could also be used as a great learning tool for the public — everyone will get to taste a larger variety of wine without haven’t to worry about breaking the bank!
and the movie theater/ball game point is good too
Agree with all the comments above. From a consumer perspective how cool would it be to go tasting, leave with some of the big bottles you liked and have some of the small samples as reminders of what you didn’t purchase. Can’t buy them all can we?
Josh @nectarwine (Twitter)
Assuming price and taste are on par with the usual 750ml bottles, this seems like a no-brainer. These could be sold in packs 6/12/24 for tasting an entire winery’s catalog. Or throw a variety pack together to sample an entire region (Calistoga AVA perhaps?). Sign me up. I like the ball game/movie angle too. Thanks for the post
Sam – agree 100%, definitely opens a lot more doors for many consumers — great point!
ConstanceC – no doubt it broadens you horizons in a more economical way – thanks for the note
Nectar – absolutely, like travelling billboards too… I bet a lot of these go out free or sample at the counter by the register, tasting room, etc…
Jason – according to the literature, the quality should be in tact and no different from the bottle. However, I wonder if there are some surface-to-volume concerns. For example, how long will these taste bottles last? I understand 1.5L bottles don’t age as well and long as 750ml due to this, so not sure of impact on the smaller format. But, it’s not like you’ll keep a mini-cellar of 50ml bottles
Thanks everyone for the comments!
I like the idea if you’re tasting dozens of wines a week–I always despair when I see perfectly good wine dumped down the drain.
For lower-volume wine bloggers, I’m not so sure. Many bloggers prefer to take their own photos rather than just using the PR-supplied shots, and readers will need to know what the full-size bottle looks like if they want to buy it. Also, there’s a lot of varying quality and styles involved in closures as well as labeling that can be an important part of a review, which would be lost with tiny samples. For example, is the winery using quality cork stock? Does the label contain enough basic information to assist a customer who is browsing through bottles?
When I review wines, I try them on their own, then with food, when first opened, and after a few hours of breathing–trying the wine in a real world environment. This broader approach would be impossible with just 50mL, and the resulting notes would be more like the quick impression I’d get from a big tasting lineup.
This is the worst f-in’ idea ever!
Not for the wineries, but for wine loving whores like myself! How am I gonna get crunk if wineries start sending me these small “wine shots” instead of full 750ml bottles!
I mean, come on here folks! Where are your priorities!
Randy – just means a few more twists of the cap that’s all… and it may help you curb those hangovers
Benito has some good points from the perspective of evaluating what you are going to experience at the wine store in a full bottle (cork, label, visual) and there’s no way there is enough room on the pipettes for the label info…
I think this is great for wineries (if they can afford to have a seperate bottling for samples.) But i wonder how this affects the perception of the reviewer? I would also have to imagine this does have some effect on the wine – with the wine to air ratio of small bottles.
Thanks, Jill, for the comment. The response from the recipients of these mini- me’s will be interesting to say the least. I will seek out some of the winemaker’s I talk to and see if they have an opinion on the “effect” of the format size regarding volume to surface area, etc.
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