Wine 988

Whether as gifts or for my own consumption, I love bringing wine, craft beer and spirits back from my travels around the world. It’s a fun way to bring home the taste of a faraway lands while adding fun new tastes to my home bar.

But since liquids can’t travel in a carry-on bag, there’s always the fear of a bottle of red wine, stout or whiskey exploding in-transit if my bag is thrown onto a baggage belt. After all, this could possibly ruin all of my clothes.

Thankfully, the WineHero Bottle Protector Bags are here to solve this issue — and they’re a must-have for anyone who travels with wine, beer or spirits. Let’s take a closer look at how these travel bottle protectors work.

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These are a must-have for wine, beer and spirit enthusiasts who travel. Each bag protects your bottles from bumps and falls as your checked bag moves through the airport. Plus, each bag seals, keeping your clothes dry on the off chance a bottle breaks in-transit.

I’m a craft beer enthusiast, and most of the beers I collect come in large format bottles that are similar in size to wine bottles. I like to buy beer to bring home when I travel, so I went on the hunt for a product to protect my bottles in-transit.

In the past, I wrapped bottles in multiple t-shirts to provide a layer of protection against bumps and falls that might occur when my checked bag makes its way through the airport.

While I never had a bottle break, I was constantly playing a game of chicken with my wardrobe. A broken bottle would ruin all of the clothing in my bag. So, I set out to find a solution that would both protect my bottles and seal liquid in if a bottle did break.

The WineHero Bottle Protector Bags were the first thing that caught my eye when browsing Amazon for a better way to travel with wine and beer bottles. And at just $25 for a six-pack, buying a set was a no-brainer.

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The WineHero Bottle Protector Bags protect your bottles, your clothes and everything else in your checked bag. Each bottle protector has a tough and flexible plastic exterior and a bubble-wrap lined interior. This keeps your bottles safe from drops and bumps.

Further, each WineHero Bottle Protector Bag seals shut with two zip lock seals and a velcro closure. So on the off chance a bottle does break in your bag, the liquid should stay inside the WineHero — not all over your clothes.

I’ve used the WineHero Bottle Protector Bags on a handful of trips over the past couple of months and haven’t had any issues with them. No bottles have broken, and the seals are still strong.

So if you’re a beer, wine or spirit enthusiast and a frequent traveler, don’t overlook the WineHero Bottle Protector Bags. These reusable wine protector bags could be the difference between your wine making it cross-country or having a wardrobe soaked in red wine.

Looking for a new travel credit card? Check out CNN Underscored Money’s list of the best credit cards currently available.

The 24th annual, world-famous Naples Winter Wine Festival kicks off this weekend, raising funds that benefit local children’s charities.

And the event serves a significant purpose for Collier County because not one penny of the $1.4 billion collected from Collier County’s tax dollars goes to social services for anyone at any age.

Concurrently, Collier ranks second among Florida’s 67 counties with the most significant wealth disparities among residents.

In 2023, Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) ― the nonprofit that launched the Festival ― distributed a record-breaking $25.6 million in proceeds distributed to 49 children’s charities in Collier County.

Through the years, $269 million has been raised affecting 300,000 local kids.

Since NWWF’s 2001 debut, “Wine Spectator” magazine notes the Festival is America’s top wine charity auction.

This year’s theme is “Generosity in Full Bloom.”

If you’ve never been, here’s what to know.

The traditional components of the three-day event include fun, food and copious wine from the world’s best vintners.

The schedule is as follows:

Jan 26. is Meet the Kids Day which precedes the Vintners Lunch this year at Artis—Naples.

At night, attendees dine at a “Vintner Dinner” with meals featuring the world’s most prestigious fine wines. This year’s designated “Honored Vintner” is Veronique Boss-Drouhin.

The food is prepared by celebrity chefs, such as Tom Colicchio from “Top Chef”.

Interestingly, as reported by our affiliate Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the upcoming season of the show is being filmed in Wisconsin, which is home to the Festival’s 2024 “Chef de Cuisine” Paul Bartolotta.

The renowned auction at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, begins on Jan. 27, with 50 astonishing lots available for bidding, offering unique access to the very best life has to offer. One standout lot is a week-long Mediterranean cruise for twelve guests aboard former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s impressive 312-foot superyacht M/Y Whisper, complete with a 27-member crew to attend to every need.

Prior to the auction, chefs from other Ritz-Carlton locations and J.W. Marriott’s resorts will showcase delectable treats. Outdoor tents are set up in a food festival style, albeit much more luxurious.

The auction’s highlight for this reporter in 2023 was seeing the divine Sela Ward, whose headshot was on my phone to inspire my stylist at the hair salon. I still hope Ward didn’t think it was too creepy to share my phone photo with her.

Post-auction Saturday caps off with a party at the resort.

On Jan. 28, Sunday brunch at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón, wraps up the celebration.

Ticket prices for 2024 start at $17,000 for two to attend. “Jeroboam” packages for four to attend are $40,000.

The Vintage Cellar wine-centric luncheon at Bleu Provence for 40 on Jan. 25 requires a separate ticket purchase.

‘Just too good to be true:1960s, ’70s music icon to be knighted in Naples next month

The suggested dress code is resort casual, but many glam it up for the festivities.

What will this year bring? Although funds are distributed to the charities in March, we’ll report live from the auction this weekend and keep readers posted at naplesnews.com.

Food and restaurant writer Diana Biederman is covering the Festival this weekend and will wear the same dress as last year, a Michael Kors Collection shift scored on Poshmark for $100.

Lucas Mearian

By Lucas Mearian

Senior Reporter,

Computerworld

New York-based Wine Enthusiast offers online customers what it calls everything they need to live the wine lifestyle — from the vino itself to corkscrews, glasses, wine cellars, furniture, and even two magazines on the topic. The company also receives 100,000 customer service inquiries annually.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 45-year old online retailer’s presence boomed. Consumers were staying home, nesting, building out their perfect office space, and drinking more.

For more than a year, Wine Enthusiast had been utilizing a SaaS-based system from the San Francisco-based startup Pathlight for performance management metrics of its customer-facing teams. Subsequently, Pathlight introduced a new generative artificial intelligence (genAI) product titled Conversation Intelligence. This product had the capability to transcribe every customer service conversation, grade customer representatives based on company metrics, and identify potential issues.

The large language model (LLM) that forms the basis of the tool uses Wine Enthusiast’s own data to comprehend company policies and procedures, and to determine if a representative adhered to these procedures, and whether or not a customer was satisfied after a call, stated John Burke, the head of customer service and systems at Wine Enthusiast.

Historically, the company had to manually go through each customer service call to identify customer trends or problems, a task unfeasible to perform on a large scale. As a result, Wine Enthusiast could only perform a superficial analysis of customer service conversations. Furthermore, when complaints arose, they were all anecdotal, making the identification of recurring problems nearly impossible.

Now, genAI tools essentially operate as autonomous analysts, according to Burke. The LLMs utilized by the tools can rapidly scan the majority of customer conversations, analyze the content, and condense the transcripts into reports that highlight consumer trends and product issues.

John Burke is the head of Customer Experience at Wine Enthusiast.

He recently had a conversation with Computerworld discussing the implementation of genAI at Wine Enthusiast. They talked about the project’s history, the challenges faced during its implementation, and the resulting benefits.

When asked about the problem genAI was expected to solve, he said: “Our customer service footprint was relatively small, making it incapable of handling the inflow of customers effectively. Contrary to common understanding, customer service is not just point-of-sales service. It also spans product warranties and support. For instance, our wine cellars are designed with a longevity of 10 to 15 years, which means they will require maintenance and spare parts.”

“Being brought into this role, my responsibility was to spearhead the growth of this business segment to meet customer expectations. This is especially crucial in today’s world where customers are used to the immediacy and technological advancements offered by companies like Amazon. However, we had to find a way to achieve this without expanding our workforce by 60 extra hires.”

What was your strategy for solving the problem? Initially, to improve communication with our customers, we transitioned to using Zendesk as our main tool. One issue we encountered, despite the ease of communication provided by Zendesk, was understanding the reasons customers were reaching out to us.

We started by asking our service team to answer a few questions at the end of each conversation to help us identify the topics they discussed. As expected, we discovered that inquiries made up 90% of the reasons for communication. But what were these inquiries about?

I don’t point fingers at the team. They are continuously switching between calls and don’t want to have to pause to answer multiple questions.

My attention is not solely focused on the number of calls or tickets handled. Instead, it’s about the quality and consistency of the service delivered to our customers. We found Pathlight to be beneficial due to its sophisticated coaching platform. This platform aggregates various essential metrics and presents them in an intuitive ‘Health Score.’ This allows the team to understand their performance better.

“Instead of pointing out, ‘you’re achieving commendable results in first-contact resolution but your chat response time needs work,’ we assert, ‘your cumulative Health Score is at 90 and here are the areas you need to focus on for improvement.’

“About twelve months into our alliance with Pathlight…, they announced their plans for developing a product that wouldn’t just evaluate the [service] representative’s performance, but also dissect every single conversation that occurred. This tool could then provide insights on what is being discussed, gauge the sentiment, assess the resolution method used, and determine whether policy and procedure compliance was intact. This innovative approach catalyzed our exploration with AI.”

Do most of your service representative communications take place through voice calls or messaging apps? “Our communication channels comprise of 70% voice calls and the remaining 30% includes everything else. We were faced with the difficulty of extracting meaningful insights from telephonic conversation that sometimes extend up to 20, 30, or even 40 minutes.

“This was the crux of our problem. With Pathlight, we can now assign digital scores to our representatives. But my leadership team was posed with the dilemma of balancing their own tasks with the need to evaluate the team. They were exclaiming, ‘John, it took me 20 minutes just to analyze one phone conversation. How am I supposed to fulfill my responsibilities and also assess the team?’

“Historically, the only occasion we took a look at a [service] recording came whenever a complaint was registered by the customer. We’d then investigate what went awry. We were consistently focusing on the worst conversations to evaluate our team performance, neglecting the hundreds of perfectly pleasant interactions they have.”

Can you tell us about the amount of work involved in evaluating agents before the genAI rollout? “My leadership team isn’t particularly large. I believe they spent about half of their time conducting evaluations. A considerable chunk of these evaluations centred around damage control. For example, when a customer is angry because their order did not arrive in time. Many team members felt as though they were lawyers putting together a case against a client. Roughly half of the management team’s time was consumed by either identifying top performers or those who required extra guidance and training, or simply ensuring adherence to our processes.

“In our case, we pay close attention to specific business metrics. We strive for customer satisfaction, but we also can’t just hand over the store. The challenge lies in striking a balance – making the customers feel satisfied when things go wrong, without instantly resorting to giving a full refund.”

How did your old method of evaluating customer support not meet your company’s objectives? “We found ourselves in a place where we were only glancing at the absolute worst cases. A major hurdle for me was when I attended our marketing and commerce meetings, the issues raised usually included – what products are enjoying popularity or being disliked, what are the reoccurring issues? I knew it was a problem this regular meeting every week began with me asking my team on Slack, ‘What has been the topic of discussion this week?’

“It was so anecdotal, and I felt quirky to present that to the marketing team. Their subsequent follow-up queries were perpetually, ‘Quantity, which clients? Which product lines? Every time all I could retort is, ‘That’s all the information I have.’”

When was the initiation of your deployment of genAI and when was it finalized? “The inception started in August of the previous year and it took nearly a month of adaption. Then we went live around September. We’ve been operative ever since. I’d express we’re quite finished with tweaking the stimulus. We’ve got it quite in tune based on our identity and what conversations ought to resemble, which has been extremely useful.

“We’ve practically eradicated manual grading. We don’t practice it anymore. We merely let the framework handle it.”

Did you have worry that Pathlight’s LLM based on a cloud would use your proprietary data for self-training, and could possibly disclose your data later on? “I’ve pursued AI studies and I appreciate being at the forefront of technology. So, I’ve kept informed about privacy worries and ethical confines of AI —Governance and similar issues. I didn’t instantly have that worry, partly because we’re not a banking entity. We’re not in insurance or healthcare. If the language model desired to learn against our client base, I was not particularly bothered about that.

“Though there were initial concerns — mainly related to customer credit card details — Pathlight was transparent about their model. It is designed to identify and remove such sensitive data, which alleviated my worries. The only data we don’t own is our customers’ personal info, and ensuring its security gave us the confidence to proceed.”

Did you form a dedicated genAI team to implement the platform, or did you primarily lean on Pathlight for their expertise?

“Being a modestly-sized business, we couldn’t dedicate an entirely new team for this initiative. The implementation was largely handled by me and a few of my managers who started working closely with Pathlight. The first interaction where they assessed our calls and demonstrated their preliminary findings was not even through a finalized product but an early prototype. We got to see how the solution was evolving and feel that we contributed to some facets of product development.”

You’ve labeled your genAI technology as “autonomous analysts.” Why did you choose this name, and how does it operate?

“The presentation of the product by Pathlight was somewhat the inverse of its actual value for us. They thought it would primarily help avoid the manual process of evaluating your team and a secondary benefit would be enhanced understanding of customer interactions.

“For us, the value was precisely the opposite: we were more interested in understanding what our customers were talking about and addressing potential issues preemptively. As a result, our team’s performance naturally improved.”

“So, having this robot in the background listening to calls all day long and surfacing the stuff most important to us both on the agent and customer level was incredibly helpful to us, especially when my team’s biggest complaint before was they were spending half their day or more not even doing the work, just listening and scrubbing through calls and then having to go through the manual process of evaluating. That’s another area we struggled in.

“My leadership team has different backgrounds. They have different management styles. One of my managers who has been in this industry for 40 years is a tough grader. It takes a lot to impress her. So, when I looked at scores when manually graded, the agents she evaluated were generally graded a lot lower than one of our other managers who is a little more forgiving.

“When we switched to AI, that bias was removed. What we were seeing was the actual analysis of the conversation without the human nature of thinking, ‘Well, the agent has had a tough week.’ Or ‘the customer was really laying into them, and I think they really did well enough.’ We removed that element from the equation.”

How do you store your customer service interactions, and how is Pathlight’s LLM able to sift through them? “We currently use a cloud-based telephony system called Aircall. Aircall and Pathlight integrate together through APIs. So, basically the conversations are recorded securely on the Aircall side and we give access to Pathlight to access those recordings for a brief period of time to analyze them and move on.

“That was something important to us; We didn’t have to adjust our modus operandi. We maintained the use of our conventional phone and ticketing systems, only permitting Pathlight secure access to the specific data they required for the evaluation.”

Did you encounter any obstacles? For instance, did you have to label your data for easier detection?

“Truth be told, even now, we are still refining it. Much of the utility hinges on the instructions fed into the AI model upfront. In our case, this involved educating the model about our business. It goes beyond simply stating, ‘We market wine.’ You would invariably encounter references to items like corkscrews, furniture, magazine stories, and refunds.”

“After a few iterations with Pathlight’s assistance, we realized, ‘It’s not quite comprehending our customer yet.’”

“Another aspect that required us to train the model was in relation to our procedures. Initially, the AI couldn’t conclusively inform us if a customer’s issue had been addressed. It could not comprehend the meaning of ‘resolved’ in our business context. Would it mean a return? Or a refund? Or a credit? Over time, through repeated refining of the prompts, we managed to help the system grasp that the customer doesn’t always have to conclude the conversation on a happy note, provided we have achieved particular business safeguarding goals and offered them a satisfactory experience. Despite being slightly irritated, we would have still met our anticipated standard.”

“I think that was a learning process for us. We had an initial prompt we built, but it wasn’t until you started seeing the output that we realized we need to tell is a little more about our business, a little more about our products for it to really understand what we were looking for.”

Assembly member Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, has introduced a bill to help control an agricultural disease affecting the wine industry, she announced in a news release Monday.

According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Pierce Disease kills grapevines by clogging their water-conducting vessels. Assembly Bill 1861 aims to strengthen the agricultural department’s Pierce Disease control program.

“The wine industry is integral to the economic success of the Central Coast and all of California,” Addis said in the release. “I’m excited to author AB 1861 that extends a crucial line of defense for our wine industry against invasive disease.”

The bill would expand existing law that aims to research and prevent agricultural disease and invasive pests, such as the glassy-winged sharpshooter.

California Association of Winegrape Growers and the Wine Institute are the sponsors of the bill.

Robert P. Koch, the president and CEO of the Wine Institute, stated in a news release that “AB 1861 will ensure the continuation of crucial research, innovation, and mitigation strategies to protect our crops against this intrusive species.”

The policy committee is currently considering the bill for referral.

Prosperous Vodka from Cape Verde, Africa wins big at the 2023 International Wine and Spirits Competition

Each year in London, some of the most seasoned palates in the alcohol industry come together to sample thousands of liquid entries from across the globe. The event is known as the International Wine and Spirits Competition, and when the annual results are published, they have the potential to make or break a brand.

We’ve continually reported on IWSC winners across the various whisky subcategories: scotch, Irish, bourbon, rye. But now it’s time to shift our attention to the vodka category, especially since an unexpected entry has caught the judges’ attention.

The bottle that has received such noteworthy feedback is Prosperous Vodka that is crafted by the Kriol Distillery. So, what makes it so special? The answer is its outstanding score of 99 out of 100. This is enough to identify it as not only the highest rated vodka at the competition, but also as one of the highest-rated spirits in all categories. No entry received a perfect 100, and only 10 expressions in total matched Prosperous Vodka’s score of 99 points.

One striking feature about Prosperous is its place of origin. The company responsible for its creation, Kriol Distillery, is located just outside of Praia, the capital city of Cabo Verde. Those who are geographically savvy would be aware that Cabo Verde is a petite island nation approximately 350 miles away from the coast of West Africa. However, only a handful of individuals would associate this setting with exemplary vodka.

It’s high time this changes. As the IWSC judges have emphasized, there’s a remarkable spirit emerging from this corner of the globe. Here’s the enthusiastic acclaim they showered on Prosperous:

“A lush aroma reminiscent of bread greets the nose. The palette is met with a hint of warmth from the spice, perfectly accompanying a delightful grain foundation. The texture is rich, making it a delight to savor.”

These are certainly comprehensive tasting notes for a type of spirit which often gets discredited as “tasteless.” The winning factor for Prosperous lies in their choice of a special kind of wheat for distillation. This lends a gentle creaminess to the drink, in addition to the earlier mentioned bread-like aroma. Comparably, renowned American vodka brands like Smiroff and Tito’s are all made from corn distillates.

According to the law, vodka can be distilled from practically any raw material. It’s crucial to keep this in mind when browsing your local liquor store’s shelves. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that only cold-climate areas such as Eastern Europe can produce superior varieties.

Indeed, there’s fantastic vodka being bottled all over the world, from Japan to Southern Argentina. And yes, even remote tropical islands like Cabo Verde.

Finding Prosperous in the US is not particularly difficult either. It has a relatively wide distribution here. On the shelves, you’ll recognize it by its blue illustration of its homeland’s mountainous landscape. It retails for around $35, making it the perfect base for a delicious vodka martini.

Keep an eye out for more standout vodkas from IWSC, as they prepare to release their 2024 rankings later this spring.

Ruins of the Cidade Velha, a fortified Portugese citadel on the island of Santiago, where Portugese colonists docked in 1460. The city was called Ribeira Grande (the Big Valley). Former capital and origin of Cape Verdian history, the town lies 12 km from Praia, in an oasis protected by the Saint Filipe fortress.

While enjoying wine can be a delight, the chore of cleaning the wine glasses afterward is not. Wine glasses are fragile and often display soap streaks left after washing them. Even worse, if soap residues accumulate, they may leave a subtle soapy taste. If you find yourself having to wash your wine glasses repeatedly to achieve a perfect, streak-free shine, it may be time to consider cleaning with vinegar. White vinegar is a well-known, natural cleaning agent and it can resolve your streaking issue.

While soap may leave a filmy residue if not adequately and thoroughly rinsed, vinegar works to dissolve any filmy layer. Being acidic, vinegar excellently removes grime from your glasses gently, without scratching or causing any damage. The easiest way to clean your glasses with vinegar involves filling a small container with hot water and a liberal splashing of vinegar. You can then immerse your glasses into the solution and pat them dry, using minimum towel strokes as possible, and thereafter allow your glasses to air dry.

Read more: Vinegar Cooking Hacks You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

If you have a wine glass with stubborn stains, particularly from red wine, you might need additional help to remove the spots. You can add a sprinkle of baking soda to your vinegar and water mixture for extra cleaning capacity. However, exercise caution not to make the solution overly abrasive, as this could scratch your glasses. After swirling your glass in the concoction, use a cloth to gently wipe the stains off. You’ll want to rinse your glass under hot water to eliminate any leftover solution, and towel dry once again.

Vinegar can also be an easy way to spot clean glass if you notice a smudge on your glasses right before serving. You can pour a small amount of vinegar onto a towel and wipe away the smudge. Then, run your glass under hot water to remove any vinegar smell and taste and you’re all set.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.

Wine is a luxurious, sophisticated beverage with different flavors, colors, and bodies. Its creation is a conscious and careful action, fine-tuning numerous variables to strike the right balance. Making a wine is more than just selecting quality grapes, it includes considering the wine’s age and the type of storage it involves. Even aspects like the difference between oak and steel barrel-aged wine play a significant role. Another notable variable in this delicate equation is the color of the wine bottle itself.

Packaging, though often seen as a marketing element, plays an essential role in wine bottling. The color of the wine bottle not only promotes marketability but also influences the wine’s quality. Thus, its selection is intentional by wine produces.

You can read more here: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink.

The color of the wine bottle influences the wine due to one primary factor – the sun. The UV radiation from the sun, although mostly filtered by the glass, still manages to permeate, especially if the glass is translucent or transparent. This incidental light may disrupt the wine’s fermentation process and interact with its compounds to bring about sulfur – impacting the wine’s flavor and aroma. This unfavorable effect is referred to as “light strike” by wine experts. Hence, if sunlight manages to penetrate a wine bottle, it could potentially damage the wine that is stored within over time.

Dark-colored glasses are a practical solution for wine producers to safeguard against light strike, as these can inhibit UV radiation. This explains why wine fridges have tinted glass and why it’s preferable to store unopened bottles in a cool, dimly lit cellar. It’s worth noting that one of the most detrimental things you can do is to keep your wine in direct sunlight. Read more about common wine mistakes you can make.

Despite the demonstrated benefits of dark glass in curbing light strike, it’s not uncommon to find many wines, especially whites and rosés, packaged in light or clear bottles, often referred to as ‘flint glass’ in the wine industry. This is primarily a marketing strategy where producers intend to showcase the vibrant colors of their wines as an indication of their crisp and refreshing flavors.

Additional consideration is given to the fact that light wines are designed to be consumed within a short period of time. Just like their red counterparts, they should be stored in a dark, cool area. Expert guidance recommends finishing an opened bottle on the same day or securely sealing it and refrigerating for a few more days at most.

Given the delicate nature of wine and the brevity of its optimal conditions, it can often seem daunting to handle. Regardless of the type or the color of the bottle, abiding by the cardinal rule of storing it in a dark, cool place can help maintain the quality of your wine.

Read the original article on Daily Meal.

Vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand – Home to Giesen Winery

With Dry January in full swing, many consumers are seeking non-alcoholic beverage choices, and fortunately the wine, beer, and spirits industry has been introducing many new options over the past two years. This makes sense, given that the category is one of the fastest growing in the past year, with a volume increase of 31.2% in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to NielsenIQ.

One winery that is making a big splash in the non-alcoholic category is Giesen. Based in New Zealand, Giesen has been making wine since 1981, but only started producing its zero alcohol wines in early 2020. Recently their head winemaker, Duncan Shouler, hosted an online tasting of six of their zero alcohol wines, and explained the special winemaking process used to maintain aromas and flavors while removing the alcohol.

‘High quality non-alcoholic wine depends on two factors – high-quality grapes and a process to delicately remove the alcohol,” stated Duncan Shouler, head winemaker for the Giesen-Zero wine portfolio. It turns out that the delicate process is similar to what the perfume industry uses to extract aromas.

Giesen has to this point crafted and launched seven distinct non-alcoholic wine options: a sparkling brut, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, rosé, riesling, merlot, and a red blend. These wines are also low in calories and carbohydrates, which range from 19 to 33 calories and comprise 4.5 to 9 carbs per 5-ounce serving. The recommended retail prices in the U.S. span from $16 to $19.99.

Duncan Shouler, the Head Winemaker at Giesen Winery in New Zealand

#1) Initiate with Sustainably Cultivated Wine Grapes: Duncan disclosed that all Giesen wines are accredited sustainable according to Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. This declaration implies that every single grape used in the production of these wines have been grown sustainably, incorporating specific practices for soil, water, plant protection, and human interaction. The grapes for the zero alcohol wine are sourced from these very vineyards.

#2) Create Wine in Identical Manner: The grapes undergo fermentation in a similar way to standard wine, typically in a stainless steel tank using yeast. After that, the white and rosé wines are aged for a number of months in the tank. Fermentation and aging of the red wines are handled with oak chips and staves to infuse a subtle hint of toasty oak.

Remove Aromas From Wine, Then Alcohol: There are several methods to remove alcohol from wine, but Duncan says they prefer to use the spinning cone technology.

“We use spinning cone technology, which is used in the perfume industry, because it is really good at extracting aroma. We do this first, and then slowly heat up the wine and remove the alcohol,” stated Duncan.

They do this in multiple passes so that it is a gentle process. “We have our own spinning cone, so we get to control the quality,” explained Duncan. (Other methods to remove alcohol from wine include vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis.)

Blend All Components: The last step is to blend the aromas and the dealcoholized wine back together, along with a small amount of pure grape juice (no sugar is added to the wine). When bottling, they add a small amount of SO2 (around 30 ppm free) to protect the wine, as is common with traditional wines.

“The end result is wine that is 0.35 to 0.4% alcohol, similar to fruit juices. If you were to drink 20 bottles, you would still be fresh,” said Duncan.

In the past non-alcoholic wines have received a ‘bad rap’ because they either taste too thin or too sweet – like drinking grape juice. The good news is they are getting better, and some of the Giesen wine are a testament to this – especially if you like dry wines – which are quite popular in New Zealand and Australia.

Duncan led us through a tastings of six wines, and my personal favorites were the Giesen Pinot Grigio and Sparkling Brut, but all six wines are appealing for Dry January. Following are some brief notes on the wines, with calories and carbs calculated for a 5-ounce glass serving:

Giesen Zero Pinot Grigio = nose of pear with a hint of floral, with tart green apple and good texture on the palate. It ends with a surprisingly long and refreshing finish, and would pair well with salad, cheeses, and lighter fish dishes. 27 calories, 7 carbs, $16 (My personal favorite)

Giesen Zero Sparkling Brut – Light fresh nose with ripe golden apple and lemon; frothy bubbles in the beginning that transition to a pleasant pétillance on palate. Very dry and refreshing with good acidity. Made with a blend of chardonnay, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc grapes. 21 calories, 6 carbs, $19.99.

Giesen Zero Rosé – Appealing salmon color, a hint of pear, tart strawberry and rhubarb on nose and palate, juicy acidity with dry finish. 19 calories, 4.5 carbs, $16.

Giesen Zero Riesling (semi-sweet) – A hint of classic diesel on nose, but brimming with peach, honey, and lime on palate. Nice texture with good acidity and decent length. Lingers on the palate in a pleasant manner. Would pair well with spicy cuisine. 33 calories, 9 carbs, $16.

Giesen Zero Sauvignon Blanc – Classic gooseberry and grass on nose, which follows through on palate with strong lime and a hint of kiwi. Light bodied with high acid. 19 calories, 4.5 carbs, $16.

Giesen Zero Red Blend – a surprisingly aromatic nose with ripe berries, spice and toasted oak. A bit thin on the mid-palate, but has an enjoyable finish with plum, cloves, oak and a pleasant tannin structure. A fine effort – given that producing dry red non-alcoholic wines is very challenging. This wine could even stand up to heartier dishes, such as pork with mushrooms and hard cheeses. It also pairs well with chocolate. 27 calories, 7 carbs, $16.

When asked, Duncan said the best sellers were the “sauvignon blanc, sparkling brut, pinot gris, and rosé, but the red blend is also gaining in popularity.”

Portfolio of Giesen Zero Alcohol Wines

Giesen has also developed an interesting database of wine cocktail recipes for their non-alcoholic wines. Many were developed by master mixologist, Pam Wiznitzer, and are available on their website. Examples include ‘The Ruby Slipper Fizz, The Gigi Spritz, and Minted Sunset Smash.”

The number of non-alcoholic wine brands is growing, and some classic brands, such as Fre have just released some new varietals, such as their Fre Sauvignon Blanc. This zero-alcohol wine features the classic grassy, gooseberry nose, but bursts with melon and sweet ruby grapefruit on the palate. 37 calories, 9 carbs per 5 ounce serving.

Other popular brands include Arial, Wander+Found, Proxies Blanc Slate, Dr. Lo, and Leitz Einzs Zwei Zero, amongst others.

The most luxurious wines usually have fancy names to match: Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Dom Pérignon, Domaine d’Auvenay, the list goes on. Figuring out how to pronounce the label on your bottle is almost as tough as selecting which one you should buy in the first place. But right now, the name on everybody’s lips is decidedly more simple: Josh.

If you’ve ever browsed the shelves of your local wine shop in search of an affordable Cab Sauv, a bottle from Josh Cellars was likely for sale. Since founded in 2007, the California-based winery has expanded their repertoire to include 11 varietals.

Joseph Carr named the brand after his father, a military veteran who also worked as a lumberjack and firefighter. The brand honors Josh’s legacy with every bottle. And for the past week, that legacy has taken on a life of its own.

Earlier this month, a user on X shared a post about the brand’s Merlot. What started as an entirely earnest suggestion became a launchpad for online memes poking fun at the name.

I’m not gonna keep telling y’all to grow up and leave that Stella & Barefoot alone pic.twitter.com/XrkSN7zukC

— King Pisces 🔱🧸 (@OptimusGrind__) January 7, 2024

With a suggested price of $17.99 a bottle, many users argued that Josh Cellars Merlot isn’t as much of an upgrade from Barefoot and Stella Rosa wine as the original post may lead us to believe. As well-balanced and delicious as it may be, ordering a glass of Josh feels just a little bit silly.

And then the memes started taking over our social media feeds like a tidal wave.

got the results back from the doctor and i’m afraid to say i got that josh in me pic.twitter.com/rKIvRNU7Wt

— horse dentist (@equine__dentist) January 11, 2024

Pour up (Josh), head shot (Josh)
Sit down (Josh), stand up (Josh)
Pass out (Josh), wake up (Josh)
Faded (Josh), faded (Josh)

— swag (@chillextremist) January 11, 2024

Me and the boys after a bottle of Josh wine pic.twitter.com/d1EQIGqgD5

— Vincent A DiGeronimo (@vincedige) January 13, 2024

The memes surrounding Josh wine have provided the winery with more exposure than ever. Data from Google indicates that interest in Josh wine has never been higher. It’s too soon to tell, but there’s a good chance that this newfound brand attention will translate into a Josh renaissance.

How has Josh Cellars been handling all the memes? According to Dan Kleinman, Chief Brand Officer of Josh Cellars, they’re taking the jokes in stride. “The wittiness of these posts have captivated us and we’re delighted to see our brand be part of the broader social media conversation,” he says. “Let the memes flow!”

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We frequently receive inquiries concerning the intricate art of winemaking. Below are a few noteworthy recently asked questions.

Question: The other day, I was drinking a bottle of white wine and noticed a large amount of sediment at the bottom of my final glass. Does this signify something wrong with my wine?

Reply: Negative, yet your apprehension is understood. One of our recent dinner invites was repulsed after she unknowingly consumed some of these crystals in her last serve of a delightful Cormorant grenache-marsanne blend. We found the amount, nearly a teaspoon, in her glass surprising as well but confirmed that the wine was not harmful.

Even so, it was not enjoyable to swallow. Had you been alone, or without the knowledge of an expert, you might have suspected the wine to be defective. As a result, to prevent this issue from surfacing, several winemakers subject their wines to cold stabilization to eliminate these crystals before they are bottled. Yet, this method also risks removing the wine’s crucial acidity. It’s a purely visual concern that winemakers continually face.

Firstly, let’s talk about the origin of these crystals. Often termed as “wine diamonds”, these crystals emerge from the naturally existing tartaric acid, essential in solidifying chemicals. It also imparts colour and structure to a wine. Though most of it gets eliminated during the filtration process, a fraction often remains soluble and hence invisible during purchase. However, once the wine is refrigerated, the crystals appear and settle at the bottom.

We had a conversation with the winemaker at Cormorant, Charlie Gilmore. He confessed that his grenache-marsanne blend results in a significant amount of crystals once refrigerated. He acknowledged the existence of methods to eliminate these crystals at the winery, but his primary aim is to produce an untouched, authentic wine. However, he takes a stand against cold fermentation.

He stated, “It’s a significant energy user. In order to produce quality wine, I won’t fine, filter or freeze. I believe it’s a better wine if I avoid doing so.”

Secondly, we discovered potential chances for a wine that stays in the refrigerator for several days to form more crystals. For instance, the Cormorant blend was refrigerated for a few days in preparation for the Thanksgiving dinner. If the wine had been refrigerated just a few hours before the dinner, it might not have resulted in as many crystals.

We value a winemaker who adheres to the natural process of winemaking, utilizing fewer chemicals and methods in the purification of a wine. The Cormorant had no fining or filtration utilized and had minimal sulfites added. This created a highly fresh, crisp wine we would happily serve again – only with less refrigeration time.

Q: I adore red wine, yet even if I only consume one glass, I always end up with a headache. White wine, on the other hand, does not have the same effect. Is this just a personal reaction or does red wine have components that augment my chances of getting a headache the next day?

A: Have faith in us, this issue has been investigated and contested for numerous years. We have informed our readers that it isn’t caused by sulfites, as many would presume, but likely due to the phenolics or histamines which are more commonly found in red wine than in its white counterpart, and even beer. A new perspective on headaches and red wine was introduced by a recent study published in Scientific Reports.

The report, authored by Apramita Devi, Morris Levin and Andrew L. Waterhouse, attributes the headaches to quercetin, which blocks ultraviolet light as a sunblock would. Only a chemistry scientist would be able to understand the technicalities of this academic report, but our main takeaway is that red grapes exposed to more sunshine accumulate more quercetin.

Even though the liver is adept at processing alcohol, it can be overburdened when quercetin comes into the mix. The toxin produced by this inadequate processing can provoke a headache akin to the pounding of a John Deere piston. As a consequence, high doses of these chemicals are often administered to alcoholics to trigger unpleasant symptoms that deter them from drinking.

Furthermore, the research revealed that levels of flavonols, a wide category that includes quercetin, were “four times greater in ultra-premium wines than in mass-produced wines”. This could be attributable to the fact that vineyards may expose their grape plants to additional sunlight to promote ripeness and allow the skins to remain in contact with the fermenting juice for extended durations. These meticulous practices are not commonly employed in the production of inexpensive wines.

If you experience headaches after consuming red wine, it would be prudent to examine the price tag.

The findings of this report can be accessed on www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-46203-y.

Q: Does wine served in a plane at high altitude taste any differently?

A: We were taken aback when we learned that altitude influences the flavor of wine. A press release from TAP Air Portugal indicated that the airline employs a wine panel that samples wines inflight to note any differences. Visualize a team of experts decked out in lab coats, flying about while savouring different wines. An interesting job, that’s for sure.

Studies have indicated that at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,000 feet, you can sense around 20% less sweetness and 30% less salinity in wines than at ground level. The wine itself doesn’t change, but your taste perception might. As these elements significantly influence the taste of wine, airlines need to carefully choose those wines that can withstand these conditions without altering taste significantly. Typically, these are fruity wines with fewer tannins.

Wines that have high salinity usually originate from vineyards close to the sea –examples are albarino from northern Spain, assyrtiko from Greece, or grillo from Sicily. We haven’t encountered these wines on flights to or from Europe yet. But it does make us ponder whether a mildly sweet Californian chardonnay will taste the same inflight as it does on ground.

It’s common for fliers to experience dehydration, which can reduce the aroma of wine by up to 25% according to studies. On long-haul flights, it’s therefore recommended to opt for water rather than alcohol. Since our palates only detect five different components – sweet, bitter, salt, acid and umami – a significant portion of a wine’s character is identified through its aroma.

All Saints Estate Durif 2021 ($38): This is an impressive find. If you’re a fan of robust and rich reds, you’ll love this durif from northeast Victoria, Australia. Durif is a combination of peloursin and syrah. It’s a tannic, condensed wine with an intense black color and potent ripe berry flavors. The tannins in this wine allow it to be preserved for at least ten years.

Coto de Imaz Reserva 2018 ($23): It seems that we can’t get enough of Rioja. Each time we sample a new one, we find ourselves wondering why tempranillo isn’t a more frequent feature on our tables. This particular gem is entirely tempranillo, packed full of dark berry fruit. After aging in American oak for a minimum of 18 months, it presents a distinct vanilla and caramel nuance. For a little more, the 2016 Coto de Imaz Gran Reserva ($37) offers greater focus and richness. Extra bottle aging yields a smooth, luxurious texture.

Villa Maria New Zealand Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2022 ($16): For those who prefer a lively and sharp sauvignon blanc, this selection from the Marborough region will not disappoint. It features white grapefruit, a touch of fresh-cut grass, and refreshing acidity.

Tom Marquardt and Patrick Darr have been writing a weekly, syndicated wine column since 1985. See their blog at moreaboutwine.com. They can be reached at marq1948@gmail.com.