European Drinks Industry Unveils System For Developing E-Labelling

The CEEV – Européen des Entreprises Vins, and spiritsEUROPE have teamed up with QR code compliance solutions firm Scantrust, to unveil an updated version of the U-label labelling platform.

According to the groups, the strategic partnership will facilitate the easy creation of e-labels for both the wine, aromatised wine and spirits drinks.

The U-label by Scantrust aims to simplify compliance with the new EU labeling regulations for wineries in a cost-effective manner. Additionally, it assists spirits producers in advancing the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on consumer information, which was adopted in June 2019.

Empower Wine Producers
“When we conceived U-label, our goal was to empower European wine producers large and small with an affordable turnkey solution for navigating the new labeling regulations,” commented Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, CEEV Secretary General.

“This partnership with Scantrust represents a significant milestone in achieving that goal.”

In a statement, CEEV and spiritsEUROPE expressed their commitment to continue supporting and contributing their expertise in the wine and spirits industries to the U-label initiative.

The new U-label by Scantrust platform meets EU Regulation 2021/2117 requirements, including recent clarifications by the European Commission.

Comprehensive Information
“As European spirits producers, we are progressing fast in providing comprehensive, easily accessible consumer information via e-labels in combination with energy-information on-pack,” said Ulrich Adam, Director General of spiritsEUROPE.

U-label will allow spirits producers large and small to roll out state-of-the-art digital labelling solutions together with an experienced and reliable partner.

“OIV must embrace the digital revolution to stay relevant” – Pau Roc, OIV Director General

 

Pau Roc, the Director General of OIV has alerted the global wine industry to quickly embrace the opportunities afforded by new technologies, in order to stay relevant in a fiercely competitive world.

Speaking at the recent inaugural symposium on the Digitalization of the Vine and Wine Sector, Pau Roca, Director General of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, said “digital tools and data sciences are driving the most innovative changes seen in our lifetime, transforming societies and the world economy.”

Rau Roca continued: “It is important to be mindful that these new technologies will offer invaluable opportunities – they will transform viticultural analysis. In order to remain relevant to our stakeholders, we need to expand our influence, reach new horizons and enhance cooperation amongst the main actors.”

Roca further added that the OIV needed to accept “a paradigm shift” towards embracing digital innovations.

“The next generation of OIV experts will continue this work, building on the foundations we lay today,” said Roca.

The symposium brought together leading experts from the academia, governments, international organizations and the private sector from different countries: Dr Adriaan Oelofse the Research, Development & Innovation Manager at WINETECH who spoke about the concept of smart vineyards, the professor expert in Artificial intelligence Dr. Bernard Chen from the University of Arkansas, professor at the Comillas Pontifical University and Blockchain expert Dr.Javier Ibañez, Mr. Fabián Torres who is a Principal Consultant at SICPA and also an expert in Digital Transformation and Guidance, and Mr Olivier Oram, expert in Blockchain and founder of Chainvine, a business that helps to reduce the cost of trust in moving wine all over and around the world.

 

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“Tastry” uses Chemistry + AI to Analyze Wine and Generate Flavor Profiles

A California startup that taught a computer to “taste” wine is using technology to help winemakers improve their wines and attract new customers.

Founder Katerina Axelsson says Tastry uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze “tens of thousands of wines a year,” generating vast reams of data to help winemakers and retailers target their products more effectively.

Ms Axelsson formed her idea as a chemistry student working at a winery, where she noticed “idiosyncrasies” in how wine was evaluated. A 100,000-gallon tank of wine would be divided in two and sold to two different brands, where it would end up in different bottles, sold at different prices and receive different scores from critics, she states

She began analyzing wine samples, identifying thousands of compounds. Using AI, she could see how these compounds interacted with each other, creating the wine’s flavor profile. She then took that profile and used machine learning to compare its flavor, aroma, texture and color with other wines in the database.

The method allowed Axelsson to develop a wine recommendation app, which was launched on screens in the wine aisles of retailers in 2019. Through a quiz, consumers could input their flavor preferences, and the software would recommend a suitable wine with 80-90% accuracy at the first attempt, she says, rising to 95% with additional input form the user. Tastry’s system now powers its BottleBird wine recommendation app.

Tastry has also begun working directly with winemakers in the United States. Brands pay to have their bottle analyzed “and in exchange they would have access to what we call an insights dashboard, where they can identify how their wine is perceived in their market of opportunity, on a store, local or regional level,” says Axelsson.

One client is O’Neill Vintners and Distillers, one of the largest wine producers in California. To produce some blends, it combines wine from “upwards of 30 different tanks” to create the desired flavor profile, according to Marty Spate, vice president of winemaking and winegrowing.

The company is using Tastry’s AI to “streamline” the blending process by suggesting which tanks to use. “[Tastry is] not a replacement for the modern winemaking team,” he says, however, “that data can be pretty powerful.”

But in an industry steeped in artisan tradition, there are some critics of its algorithmic approach.  “It’s like having a computer analyze a piece of art,” says Ronan Sayburn, master sommelier and head of wine at 67 Pall Mall, a private members club for wine lovers in London.

“I don’t know how keen people would be on following what a computer tells them to drink, based on what they had previously,” he says. “I think part of the appeal of wine is forming your own opinions.”

Sayburn concedes technology can be useful to the amateur, for recommending serving temperature, aeration time and food pairings. “But when it comes to something which is a very emotive subject, I think there’s got to be human contact,” he argues.

Axelsson agrees that Tastry is not a substitute for a sommelier. But she says the scalability of her product makes it possible to analyze more wines per year than a human could ever taste.

Her company will start offering services in Europe later this year in collaboration with an online retailer, and is already thinking beyond wine, having conducted tests for beers, spirits, coffee and fragrances.

In the meantime, she’s happy to spend time winning over the naysayers.

“It takes time to educate any industry about AI and its benefits,” she says. “But if the use case is there and the value proposition is there, I think it’s just a matter of time before people really embrace it.”

Source :CNN Business London

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Wine Technology:  Bordeaux’s first wine with augmented reality label revealed

Château Laffitte Carcasset has just released a new wine which, when viewed through an app on a smartphone, appears in augmented reality.

The wine, a classic 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot blend, is destined for the export market and pays tribute to a key figure in the region’s history.

Jean Lafitte bought a wine estate in ‘Carcasset’ in 1781, naming the estate after himself and passing it down to his children.

The 35-hectare estate has partnered with the SnapPress app and POSQA, a start-up that supports augmented reality projects, on the initiative.

The producer hopes it brings “young, connected consumers” to the brand, and also to Bordeaux.

Made from grapes sourced from the 2016 vintage, the wine was fermented in stainless steel vats before being matured in oak for 12 months, creating a wine that is approachable and “easy-to-drink in its youth”.

Eden Villages, owned by French businessman Pierre Rousseau, acquired a majority stake in estate in 2017. Since 1958 it had been owned by members of the Padirac family.

Upon acquiring Laffitte Carcasset, his first winery, Rousseaux said he would implement a renovation and restructuring project, drawing on his experience gained through running his company, which specializes in mobile homes and motorhomes and already deals in the wine tourism sector.

 

LOUIS XIII Cognac Integrates NFC Technology into its “Smart Decanter”

Launching February 2019, LOUIS XIII will step into the future by integrating NFC technology into its Smart Decanter to provide clients a seamless access to an exclusive world of privileges. Each decanter will directly connect clients to the LOUIS XIII Society, a private club where members can enjoy exclusive content, unique experiences and personalized services through their smartphones.

After removing the seal, clients can tap and scan their NFC-enabled smartphones on the cork stopper to access the LOUIS XIII Society landing page to create or log into their account. The decanter number will then be automatically registered.

With this NFC chip, LOUIS XIII clients will get facilitated access to all the advantages of the LOUIS XIII Society. This private club offers bespoke services such as customized decanter engraving, pre-releases of limited editions, contact with a LOUIS XIII Personal Advisor for private tastings and ultimate experiences, and an invitation to network with LOUIS XIII Cognac connoisseurs registered all over the world. In addition, the LOUIS XIII Smart Decanter will bring added services to clients allowing them to customize gifting messages that will appear when recipients scan their decanter.

“Every LOUIS XIII decanter will feature this smart solution worldwide. At LOUIS XIII, we place clients at the very heart of everything we do, striving to offer them always the best experiences,” said Ludovic du Plessis, LOUIS XIII Global Executive Director. “This innovation will be launched globally starting February 2019 and will be deployed all over the world the following months.”

NFC TECHNOLOGY
NFC enables simple, rapid, intuitive and secure communication between two electronic objects. A mature and robust technology which has been growing in the past 20 years being used mainly by bank cards, biometric passports and travel tickets – until now. Today, with the introduction of contactless payment, connected wearables and the Internet of Things, NFC technology is reinventing the way we experience life.

LOUIS XIII Society is a private members club for owners of LOUIS XIII Cognac decanters. http://www.louisxiii-society.com