What is blue wine made from? A novelty in the field of alcoholic beverages - blue wine! The blue wine phenomenon

In 2015, the Spanish company Gik released the world's first blue wine (11.5% ABV), and at first it made an unprecedented sensation. Unusual blue wine flashed everywhere: in print media, blogs, social networks, and the manufacturer quickly arranged deliveries to 25 countries around the world. True, it turned out that the non-standard shade is almost the only advantage of the drink, since the taste and aroma are mediocre.

In testing, the tasters described the blue wine as “unimpressive” at best, but the reviews even included the definition of “disgusting.” In addition, Gik violated European rules by calling its product "wine", and the sale of products became difficult.

Due to the presence of a dye in the composition, the Gik brand is refused to be recognized as wine in the EU

The problem is that the blend of white and red wine became the basis of the drink, and the addition of anthocyanin and indigotin dye gave it a blue color. The last ingredient has become a stumbling block: the EU does not allow the content of any dyes, flavors, etc. in wine. Such a product may be referred to only as an "alcoholic beverage", or it may be designated by its own name. Moreover, the manufacturer added an artificial sweetener to the drink, due to which the wine became truly cloying. Gik recommends chilling the blue novelty before serving and serving it with Mexican guacamole, pasta and sushi.

French entrepreneur René Le Bail took into account the mistakes of his Spanish predecessors and created a blue wine called Vindigo (wine + indigo). This drink is made on the basis of 100% Chardonnay, and to give the alcohol a blue tint, it is passed through a pulp of anthocyanin-rich red grape skins. The result is a sweet, medium-bodied wine that fully complies with European legislation.

Vindigo is stained with grape skins

Windigo has a strength of 11%, it has a fruity taste, notes of cherries, blueberries, passion fruit are felt in the bouquet. The drink is distributed throughout Europe. The manufacturer recommends serving it with oysters and other seafood.

Positioning

Blue wine producers position their product as a revolutionary new product designed to stir up the traditional and "snobby" world of "noble" alcohol. Innovative winemakers claim that wine can be an attribute not only of social events, but also of fashionable parties, and directly declare that the main audience for their development is young people and women.

Criticism

Professional tasters took the new drink critically. The American newspaper Independent argues that blue wine is only suitable for spectacular photos on Instagram and is popular only among the generation of millennials, who generally have difficulty growing up. In the article BLUE WINE IS A THING – AND PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED (“Blue wine is something, people are confused”), the journalist calls the product a “caricature”, “a hyped mouthwash” and notes that manufacturers of a fashionable drink there is no winemaking experience, and Gik does not even have a real office, only a virtual one.

Blue wine is not recognized by traditional winemakers, but is popular with innovators and lovers of everything unusual.

The almost unanimous verdict is that blue wine is good for pretty photos and perhaps as a cocktail ingredient. The drink turned out to be extremely sweet, but for the category of dessert wines, it lacks body and aftertaste.

The Spaniards have found a way to create natural wines in almost any color, from sky blue to green and even orange.

It all started last year when Spanish startup Gïk unveiled the world's first blue wine to the public. The researchers worked for two years with scientists from the University of the Basque Country and food developers Azti Tecnecalia to try to use anthocyanin, a natural pigment in grape skins, to manipulate wine color.

The research was a significant commercial success, and the company reported in January that it had sold over 100,000 bottles in six months. But the competition is growing as other Spanish wineries are already using a similar technology to create wines with unusual colors.

Winery Bodega Santa Margarita in the Spanish city of Caudete, offers a variety of shades of blue wine, as well as green, orange and rosé wines within the Passion line. They are already enjoying incredible demand in several European markets such as the Netherlands and the UK.

Winemakers use anthocyanin for their Passion Blue wines, but it's not clear how they make their wines orange and pink. One can only assume that these colors are the result of mixing different wines and adding one of the grape skin pigments. One thing is for sure - all components are exclusively of natural origin.

Says Windsen Janssen, spokesman for Dutch wine importer Share-a-Bottle: In the past few weeks, multi-colored wine has been flying away. As you can see, color matters to people, but this wine also tastes very good. So we support this idea«.

Bodegas y Viñedos Amaya also blends tradition and innovation to create what they call tecnovinos. So far they have a collection of bright reds, yellows and greens made from a variety of Spanish grapes.

These winemakers fuel the curiosity of people who want new images and sensations. In this way, they create a new customer base, and also change centuries-old stereotypes about wine. But legislators did not like this kind of change.

Startup Gïk said this year that Spanish authorities banned them from selling their blue drink as wine because lawmakers said it was the “wrong” color. There is no category for blue wine, so even though it is 100% wine, Gïk was forced to sell its product under the "other alcoholic beverages" category.

Representatives of the startup Gïk gave the following comment: “ In order to continue selling our own products, we had to stop labeling Gïk as wine. Instead, we had to put a second-class category on the label called "other alcoholic beverages." Cause? Historically, there is no suitable category for blue wine. We had to change the composition to 99% wine and 1% grapes in order to adapt the product to current legislation«.

Despite the obstacles, it is unlikely that the revolution of colored wines will find itself on the sidelines of history. Customers are drawn to unusual colors like blues and greens, even if they make the wine more like energy drinks. However, most consumers are little concerned about such trifles as the category in which these drinks are sold.

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Image copyright Geek Live!

Wine blue? Are you sure? But have the producers of this strange-looking drink gone crazy? Or are we witnessing a small revolution in winemaking?

Gïk Blue wines are made using red and white grape varieties combined with natural colors and flavors.

The result is a sweet wine of a bright blue color, which makes some people immediately fill their glasses and clink glasses, and someone suggests that the producers of this unusual drink are clinking glasses.

The Spanish company has shaken the traditional foundations of national winemaking by introducing an unexpected new product on the market. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Winemaking in Spain is well developed and traditionally highly respected.

Gïk is a blend of different red and white grapes and two natural dyes that give it its blue color: anthocyanin, derived from the skin of red grapes, and indigo carmine, a natural compound commonly used as a reddish-blue food coloring.

The taste of this blend is enhanced with non-caloric sweeteners and results in a cross between wine, wine-fruit juice blend and cocktail - a drink that has a mild, sweet, slightly syrupy taste.

"At first, customers didn't believe we were selling blue wine, but when they tried it, they liked it and started coming specifically for Gïk," says Enrique Isasi of Madrid's Sushi Artist restaurant, which was one of the first restaurants in Spain to take on realization of this drink.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption In the Basque Country, located in northern Spain, there are many vineyards. Both red and white wine are produced here.

But not everyone became fans of the new wine. Some consider it a blasphemous and terrible invention, some compare Gïk to "wine by-products", remembering the case of strawberry gin made at the Puerto de Indias Seville distillery after an unsuccessful attempt to produce a strawberry liqueur from fresh berries.

Then the master distiller decided to add mashed strawberries to the new gin he was working on. The result is something between a liquor and a gin, in much the same vein as Gïk, which is a wine-based drink.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Gïk is made from various varieties of red and white grapes with the addition of natural dyes to give it a blue color.

"Wine in Spain is inextricably linked with culture - explains Lopez. - This situation has not changed for several centuries. Tradition in our country is preferred over innovation."

"We developed Gïk in an attempt to redefine the way things are. We are aimed at normal people who don't need to know a thousand rules just to enjoy a glass of wine."

This approach seems to be more revolutionary than the drink itself. Reviews left after tasting the product are full of phrases like "what the hell", reports that it goes well with Carbonara pasta and tzatziki yogurt sauce, and recommendations to use it with the music of bands such as Minus the Bear and Fryars, working in the style of indie pop.

Image copyright Geek Live! Image caption Gïk is positioned as a groundbreaking invention that provides a new way to look at winemaking

They attract like-minded partners - from designers to DJs - and are not afraid to show a lack of respect for tradition (the Gïk label shows a dog-headed man sitting in a leather chair with two glasses of blue wine).

Whether Gïk is ahead of its era, country and target audience, or is it just another novelty that will be quickly forgotten, time and major players in the wine industry will judge.

Gïk is now sold in 25 countries; next year it is planned to bring it to the American market.

Image copyright Geek Live! Image caption Gïk hopes to enter the US market next year

"Fortunately, I haven't tried Gïk, and as 'modern' as it is, I think people today appreciate natural products without additives," explains Chad Walsh, sommelier at the New York restaurant Agern. wines with a classic recipe.

“I can say with confidence that this drink will not be included in the wine lists of any serious institution in the near future, but I would not be surprised if it soon ends up in some wine cellar in your neighborhood,” Walsh makes a reservation.

Manufacturers resort to various tricks to sell their goods. However, if some are limited only by bright packaging or non-standard advertising, then others are trying to cross the generally accepted boundaries in this matter. Gik is a wine created by such lovers of original solutions.

Product Description

Nowadays, it is difficult to surprise lovers of alcoholic beverages with something. Therefore, manufacturing companies are constantly looking for new ideas to draw attention to their products. But the Spanish winemakers from Bierzo have found a very interesting solution to this problem. They created a product called Gik. The wine is truly extraordinary.

The main feature is the blue color of the drink. Moreover, the manufacturer claims that his goal was not only the desire to shock the buyer. According to psychologists, the color blue itself characterizes the desire for movement, change and all sorts of innovations. Therefore, Gik is a wine for those who strive for change and are not afraid to embrace everything new.

I must say that such a marketing move by the company was a success. The product really caught the attention of the mass buyer. In addition, the unusual name has another secret. As you know, "geeks" are called young people with not quite ordinary and sometimes even strange hobbies. They are not afraid to be eccentric and misunderstood by others. Therefore, Gik is a wine aimed more at a youth audience. Among them there will definitely be those who want to impress their comrades, colleagues and acquaintances.

Buyer opinions

The outrageous blue drink is produced at Baco Vinos in the city of Cadiz, located in Spain on the border of the intersection of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It was from here that Columbus went to discover the New World.

The unusual product created by specialists has become in some way the successor of the national tradition. Gik - wine, reviews of which the majority of buyers have developed, mostly positive.

In principle, this is a completely ordinary product, which is made from a mixture of white and red grapes. It tastes a bit like a Riesling. This is a lung that contains only 11.5 percent alcohol. To obtain the desired shade, manufacturers used two substances:

• food coloring "indigotin";
• "anthocyanin" (pigment isolated from the skin of red grapes).

True, many are confused by the unreasonably high price of the product. A bottle of this drink costs 10 euros. It is expensive even for Europe. True, the domestic consumer can only buy this wine there. But in the future, lovers of unusual sensations hope to still see it on the shelves of our stores.

Good intentions

Those who have not yet been lucky enough to try a new product wonder why the producers created Gik (wine)? Spain, in fact, is a country that is already famous for various alcoholic beverages. Many of them are still leading the market today. What made local winemakers go for such an experiment? The producers claim that all this was done purely for fun.

The new product Gik Live has become just another development of local specialists. Perhaps those who like certain varieties of Spanish wines will not appreciate it properly. Nevertheless, there will certainly be those who will be ready to accept a shocking novelty for themselves.

By the way, it is worth noting that the blue color does not affect the taste of the product. It just draws more attention to him. This factor is especially important at the initial stage, when the buyer is just beginning to study the product and is ready to pay for it not even a completely justified price.

Everyone knows that red wine is for red meat, white for white, and rosé for other, lighter foods. However, not everything is so simple with a new drink in this market. Before you - a unique blue wine. What is this drink and how exactly did it come about?

Features of blue wine

This drink was obtained by mixing red and white wines obtained from a variety of vineyards in Spain.

This type of wine received a unique and original blue color due to a special pigment that can be found in the skin of grapes and additional food coloring.

This drink is not yet available on the market, but very soon it will be available in Europe. The makers of this innovative drink report that each bottle will cost around £8.

If you have the opportunity to purchase this unique drink, be sure to take it and try the sky-colored wine, which symbolizes eternal and always relevant values ​​and concepts.