Wine is one of the best drinks invented by humankind. If you can buy bottles from the best wineries around the world, then you are truly a happy person. But is there a way to help wine lovers choose new varieties? Many useful applications will be useful and informative for you. Here are five of the best choices for nearly all wine lovers.

My Wine Society

It’s not just a regular wine photo app but a whole community. Here you will have access to wineries around the world and in your area. This is convenient if you are new to the city and do not yet know all the important wine lovers’ places.

You can also find upcoming themed events and upcoming tastings. The app also lets you know about upcoming events, festivals, and wine promotions. And you don’t have to pay any money for a subscription. This is especially true for students, as they can pay for essays online. You will not have to choose a wine for a romantic dinner or pleasant company at a picnic for a long time by choosing this application.

Vivino

This is more than a regular application. The most important thing is that you can find a new wine label or learn much new information about flavor shades through reviews. This app helps you catalog your wine list and find expert notes. It also stores information about the combination of a drink with various dishes.

This is especially convenient for beginners and those looking for new flavor combinations. And you can also keep track of those drinks that have already been on your table and choose something new. Overall, this is a good choice for anyone who is a wine fan. You will love the simple and concise interface with user-friendly sections. This is especially true for beginners who do not yet know the basic terminology and wine nuances.

Delectable

This app’s main feature is following the top winemakers and sommeliers and learning their advice. It is, even more, an educational resource than a wine magazine. Also, flatters can explore new types of wine and place orders using a smartphone.

It’s kind of like a custom essay order in terms of how easy it is to get a service. In general, the application has a user-friendly interface, so it will be easy for beginners to understand the nuances. All sections are very convenient and informative. Just a few clicks, and you will find out which wine is best to combine with cheeses and meats. There are also tips for choosing a drink, depending on the time of day and your mood.

Wine Ring

Do you know what is the most original in this application? You can trust artificial intelligence and get wine recommendations. In part, this application is similar to a social network, where there are likes, tips, gifts, and other activities. A special algorithm tracks all your actions and remembers what you like.

All advice and wine selection are made based on your previous preferences. The network is constantly improving, so each new wine offer will be more relevant to you. This is an opportunity to learn a lot about a sommelier’s life and find those varieties of wine that you didn’t even know existed.

Wine-Searcher

Let’s say you went on a journey and chose a new city or even a country. Where can I pick a good wine from local grape varieties? Wine-Searcher solves this problem. The fact is that this app is a great encyclopedia with the ability to keep track of all supermarkets and liquor stores. You can find the nearest location and buy a bottle of a great drink at the best price. The direct comparison option allows you to find out about grape varieties, wine strength, and aftertaste. This is especially important if you want to get a certain range of aromas and flavor nuances.

What to Download First?

The fact is that these five applications are unique in their own way and contain several interesting functions. You can make your choice based on a base of drinks, social opportunities, or tips for combining drinks and food. Some of the apps on the list have a wine selection algorithm based on your preferences. In any case, all these applications are very informative and allow you to expand your knowledge in the field of wines and their selection.

All these applications have a lot of free options, which is very important. You can also count on each of the options presented to be available for Android and iOS. All versions are adapted for smartphones and tablets. This is especially convenient if you are going on a trip and do not know which wine is best for you. All of these five applications contain an important knowledge base and tips for choosing drinks for beginners.

1000 Trades is also delighted to announce, alongside Garage Creative, they have won a silver medal in the prestigious Harper’s Wine & Spirit Design awards 2020 for 1000 Trades Gin.

Phil Warren, Founder, experienced in the drinks industry, is responsible for launching a number of new brands into UK on & off trade since opening distribution company Novus in 2009, said.

“2020 has been a hugely successful year for us, we are really proud and delighted to have achieved so many things in such a short period of time.  Launching in a global pandemic has not been without its challenges.  We have had to adapt how we run the distillery due to the effect’s lockdown restrictions have caused.  The design award is a great achievement for the team at 1000 Trades and Garage Creative. It was a zoom driven project – a first for all!  The results have been fabulous.  We created zesty and spicy gin to reflect the diversity of Birmingham. We wanted the label to sing Birmingham, too.  It’s the ‘spirit of our city’ in both name and inspiration”.

He added: “It is important to us to grow roots in our local community and give the trade and consumers of our area a brand and drinks they can relate to.  As we expand, we will also be creating jobs in the local community for 2021 and beyond.  Our signature blends are available to the trade through local wholesalers Swallow Drinks and Inn Express.  They are also available direct to the public through our own online store, as well as Amazon.  A number of new products and collaborations are planned for 2021, which will be an even bigger year”.

Source: 1000 Trades

The Women’s Choice Award is the only award based solely on the recommendations of women, the most powerful consumer. The mission of the award is to empower women via a collective voice which identifies brands, products and services that deserve their loyalty and referrals. To earn the 9 out of 10 Recommended award Gemma di Luna was required to satisfy a two-step qualification process to achieve a greater than 85% recommendation rating in both a national survey of the brands female consumers and with a live taste testing panel.

Recommendation ratings are the pinnacle for determining true brand loyalty and love, with peer recommendations being one of the key criteria consumers say influence their choices in wine. The award enables Gemma di Luna to display the Women’s Choice 9 out of 10 Recommended Seal in the brands marketing communications. When choosing between two brands at a similar price, 95% of women say that seeing the Women’s Choice Award seal would make their purchase decision easier, which gives Gemma di Luna a powerful differentiator to stand out in the the cluttered wine marketplace. Gemma di Luna will communicate the award via special packaging, digital outreach and point of sale materials.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Women’s Choice Award,” said Giovanni Pecora, CEO of Enovation Brands. “In conceiving Gemma di Luna, we sought to bring together everything women want in wine; beloved varietals, carefully crafted and presented in beautiful packaging to infuse a bit of luxury into every day moments. This endorsement confirms we have no only achieved that goal, but also earned the trust and loyalty of our valued consumers.”

Source: Gemma di Luna

The Wonderful Company, which is dedicated to harvesting health around the world, announced today that the JUSTIN and Landmark Community Grants programs have chosen 19 non-profit organizations and schools in the San Luis Obispo and Sonoma Counties, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin and Paso Robles Unified School District, to receive funding from its COVID-19 and fire relief fund of over $500,000 in grants.

Stewart and Lynda Resnick established a $1 million COVID-19 relief fund in August 2020 to support local programs, services, and resources in California’s Central Valley. In October, the relief fund was expanded by over $500,000 to assist those specifically in the San Luis Obispo and Sonoma Counties who have been affected by COVID-19 and the California wildfires. Non-profit organizations and schools that demonstrate community impact were eligible to apply for funding.

Andy Anzaldo, Chief Operating Officer of Philanthropy at The Wonderful Company, said, “On behalf of The Wonderful Company and Lynda and Stewart Resnick, we are grateful to organizations who have been working tirelessly to assist their communities and front-line workers. The COVID-19 pandemic followed by the devastating California wildfires has put a tremendous amount of stress on these communities and we are honored to help these organizations so they can continue their efforts we desperately need during this time.”

“2020 has been a tough year for all of us. Together we’re weathering a global pandemic, distance learning while schools stay closed, multiple fires and evacuations, and deep racial and political divisions. This is certainly a season of hardship for Sonoma County families,” said Jennifer Weiss, Chief Executive Officer at Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin. “Funding from the Landmark Community Grants program will help us provide a safe place for kids to learn and grow during such a difficult year, and we are incredibly grateful.”

Paso Robles High School science teacher Jon-Paul Ewing plans to use a portion of the grant money provided to the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District to assist with educational services within his department. “The Bearcat Science Department is thrilled to receive extra funds to help make lab activities more accessible to our students. Electronic balances, portable sinks, and micropipettes will assist our teachers as we plan for our return to school following the pandemic.”

Since their launch in 2013 and 2014, the JUSTIN and Landmark Community Grants programs have been supporting local organizations that strive to make their communities a better place to live and work. This year, Wonderful has significantly expanded the scope and funding of these existing programs as a part of a proactive and concerted company-wide fight against COVID-19. Each year, The Wonderful Company invests millions of dollars in far-reaching community development, education, and health and wellness programs across the Central Valley and beyond, with the goal of enriching and enhancing the lives of our employees who live there.

Source: The Wonderful Company

Cool Cat Wine Spritzers are naturally flavored and made with California Pinot Grigio and pure cane sugar. They are naturally gluten free and each 12 ounce can contains just 150 calories and two carbohydrates, the equivalent of two glasses of standard table wine. Now available in two varieties – Original (Elderflower Mint Lime) and Citrus – Cool Cat Wine Spritzers are a fun and delicious accent to any holiday occasion.

Six Tips to Spritz Up the Holiday Season:

• Switch it Up – Rather than a traditional bottle of wine or spirits, bring something new to the table: a festive 4-pack of ready-to-sip canned wine spritzers
• Simplify Your Sip – Cool Cat tastes great out of a chilled can or poured over ice
• Spritz Up Signature Cocktails – Mix up personal-sized sangria cocktails with Cool Cat Original. Pour Cool Cat over chopped apples, pears and grapes, and top with sparkling water. If sunny citrus flavors are your jam, try the Citré, mixing four ounces of Cool Cat Citrus with three ounces of rosé wine
• Give a Spritz – Cool Cat is a fun stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift
• Share the Spritz – You can ship four-packs of Cool Cat wine spritzers nationally, so it’s easy to share with family and friends. Plus, Cool Cat is offering free shipping on all orders through December 2020!
• Savor the Flavor – Pair Cool Cat with your favorite foods at a boozy brunch. The fresh, bright flavors are a great complement to holiday foods, like turkey and ham

“It’s time for new traditions especially given the challenges of in-person gatherings this year,” said Cool Cat co-founder and CEO Rocco Venneri. “More than a drink, Cool Cat is a unique lifestyle brand that offers refreshing wine cocktail experiences with the ease and convenience of a canned beverage. Wine spritzers are a delicious year-round option. At Cool Cat, it’s always spritzer season!”

Source: Cool Cat

Vintage Roots are recruiting an official ‘wine taster’ this summer to help them test some of the best organic wines – a rewarding position for all wine aficionados.

The lucky individual will be selected to spend their summer tasting and reviewing a selection of organic wine and if this wasn’t enough, they’ll also be paid £250 for the privilege.

To be in with the chance, candidates will need to post a picture on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram enjoying their favourite glass of wine with friends or at home after a busy day tagging @VintageRootsLtd on Facebook and Twitter and @VintageRootsWines on Instagram and using the hashtag #summerwinetaster #comewinewithme. Candidates must also ensure to follow all accounts to be in with the chance of winning this dream job.

The winner will be sent some of the finest organic summer wines and will review the bottles for Vintage Roots. The winner will be in with a chance of being sent the Rose Summer Six and Organic Everyday Case, totalling over £100 worth of wine!

Entrants must be quick, as you have to apply by 31st August with the winner announced on the 4th of September 2020

If this sounds like just the job for you, you can find out more details by visiting Vintage Roots website and reading the Terms and Conditions.

So, if you are partial to a glass of wine with your dinner, when gathering with friends or just because… (you don’t need a reason!) then what are you waiting for? Have a taste of the highlife and become a wine reviewer!

Source: Vintage Roots

The release of the Wild Child Flight comes in the wake of the impressive “California Wine Mixer” launch; as the company’s first variety flight. The California Wine Mixer set the bar high as it sold 60,000 individual by-the-glass bottles in the first 3 months. As employers and universities across the nation began social distancing and enforcing limitations on their operations, In Good Taste was able to offer a simple, exciting way to bring coworkers, families, students, and friend groups together – safely.

Zach Feinberg, Co-founder, expresses the significance of the last few months’ growth and the impact of current events on the business.

“In the last 90 days our company has gone from 6 people in a warehouse, to 30 people spread across the country. Our growth can be attributed to the hard work of our agile team and the remarkable talent that we have been able to onboard. We plan to continue to expand and hire more talented individuals that are out of work in the wine industry.”

Keeping pace with customer demand, while ensuring the highest quality and service, the team has introduced leadership positions to uphold the standards that the company has been rooted in from the beginning; product operations, customer support, development and growth are just a few of the areas seeing new leadership.

Claire Waluch, Head of Growth, was onboarded in April of 2020 and has been able to play a critical role in the company’s success. While adapting to the limitations, she expresses how we can still connect with one another over a glass of wine.

“Wine is a social activity, and physical distancing shouldn’t stop us from creating memories over wine safely through virtual experiences. In these difficult times, we’re here to help people relax and discover – uncovering new wines shouldn’t just be for the experts.”

Source: In Good Taste Wines

Since 1996, Greg Norman Estates has been producing bold and approachable wines from some of the world’s most sought-after wine regions. Nearly a quarter of a century later, Greg and his daughter Morgan have invited some of the world’s best winemakers to help them redefine the wines for the next generation of the legacy brand.

“This business started as a passion project for me 24 years ago, so it is incredible to have created a legacy brand that my family can continue to carry on for another generation,” said Greg Norman. “It has always been my goal to over deliver on quality and style for the price point, and our new portfolio takes it to a new level.”

Old Bridge Cellars, who focuses on winemaking, sales and marketing for the Greg Norman Estates brand, partnered with the Normans in 2019 to build upon a solid foundation and usher in a new era for the wine. The reimagined portfolio features seven wines from premier winegrowing regions in South Australia, California and Marlborough.

The new winemakers, each with decades of experience and considered specialists in their respective regions, include Sam Bennett from te Pā winery in Marlborough, New Zealand; Kate Goodman of Penley Estate in Coonawarra, South Australia; Ben Riggs proprietor of McLaren Vintners in McLaren Vale, South Australia; and Bill Nancarrow hailing from Goosecross Cellars in Napa Valley. The collaboration of the Norman family with these highly regarded winemakers from around the world aims to deliver a more refined and terroir-driven approach to winemaking.

After an impressive foray into the culinary world as a chef in Napa Valley, Morgan joined Greg Norman Estates 12 years ago and has been instrumental in the brand identity as well as representing her family’s business with both consumers and trade. In her new and expanded role, she will drive the creative and winemaking style, working closely with the winemakers and Old Bridge Cellars.

“Our family’s passion and commitment to Greg Norman Estates is something that I have grown up admiring, appreciating and learning from,” said Morgan Norman. “The new collaboration between Old Bridge Cellars, our outstanding new winemakers – Kate, Ben, Bill and Sam – and our family, is the perfect recipe for Greg Norman Estates. I am thrilled to be a part of continuing to help grow our family’s business for many more years to come.”

“The opportunity we have to revitalize an established brand with new, higher quality benchmarks while keeping the pricing the same shows our commitment to double down on the Norman family’s priority to over deliver for the price,” said Rob Buono, President of Old Bridge Cellars. “Shifting Greg Norman Estates to an artisanal winemaking approach is absolutely in our wheelhouse and we’re eager to see how the new wine styles are received in the market.”

As part of the brand evolution, Greg Norman Estates has debuted a new contemporary look and feel including a new label design and screwcap closures. The new wines will roll out across the U.S. this summer available in retail, restaurants and online.

Source: Old Bridge Cellars

Their partnership aims to deliver the best French rose wines from Provence to wineries, wine shops, restaurants and allow the consumer to enjoy the best juices from the harvest.

Owned by Valerie Rousselle & family, Château Roubine and Château Sainte-Béatrice are known as the wineries of excellence as both vineyards respect the regional winemaking tradition while using the most modern techniques. The specificity of each of them is to grow grapes organically, while working with sustainable and biodynamic agriculture.

The wines are elaborated in the purest respect of nature & environment, soil and biodiversity. The production is limited in order to seek the optimal grape maturity to deliver fantastic wines full of sunshine, delicate tastes and flavors.

These Côtes de Provence wines are found on the finest gastronomic tables and are exported all around the world.

Source: Choteau Roubine

Wine Category Sees Strong Gains Across the Board

Catalina’s shopping data reveals a significant increase in wine sales for the 10-week period beginning Feb. 23 through May 2, 2020 across grocery and drug channels, when sheltering in place became more common vs. the same period a year ago:

• Wine total dollar sales increased by 38%, with unit sales up by 32%
• The number of wine buyers increased by 16%: Dollars spent per wine buyer were up 15% — from $62.74 to $71.94 (for the total 10-week period). Units purchased per wine buyer were up 10% — from 6.3 to 6.9 (for the total 10-week period).
• 46% of wine buyers made a repeat purchase (2+ trips during the 10-week period) vs. 36% a year ago
• In 2020, 45% of trips included purchases of two or more bottles of wine, compared to 36% of trips in 2019: 3+ bottles were purchased this year on 19% of trips, compared to 14% of trips last year; 6+ bottles were purchased this year on 7.3% of trips, compared to 5.8% of trips last year

Many new buyers have entered the category as well, and they are making repeat purchases.

Across alcoholic beverages, wine has seen the greatest overall increase compared to the pre-COVID period:

According to Koupon, as virtual happy hours have become more popular, there has been a clear shift toward C-store visits later in the day, and a corresponding increase in the sales of adult beverages. In the C-store channel, for the same 10-week period vs. year ago:

• Wine total dollar sales were up 9%, beer was up 6%, and spirits up 24%
• 32% of wine buyers were new to the category within c-store, and 17% of these first-time buyers have made a repeat purchase
• For consumers buying both before and during the crisis, wine basket size was up 4%, beer up 11% and spirits up 6%

Wine Industry Perspectives

“During times of crisis, new behaviors and habits emerge for some consumers while others return to the familiar,” said Stephanie Gallo, Chief Marketing Officer, E. & J. Gallo. “The rise of virtual observances – happy hours, baby showers, birthdays and even weddings – means consumers are using technology in new ways while enjoying wine and spirits as a part of their connections. Several of our wineries are now engaging consumers through weekly virtual happy hours with winemakers and cooking demonstrations with chefs.”

Added Jeff Dubiel, Chief Marketing Officer of The Wine Group, “During the initial panic-buy period, the wine category saw the same consumer pantry-loading behaviors as other categories like paper towels and shelf-stable goods. As we have seen with previous crises, the increased purchase and consumption continued to hold following the initial wave of pantry-loading as consumers adapted to sheltering in place. Americans are resilient, and we have seen and heard wine enthusiasts finding inventive news ways, such as virtual happy hours and wine tastings – to enjoy their favorite beverages with friends and family.”

Adapting for a New Normal

For the week ending May 3, convenience store sales have returned to year-over-year growth levels across the majority of in-store categories. As more states begin to reopen and consumers adjust to a new normal, consumer goods producers, including the wine category, will continue to adapt.

“We have seen shifts in consumer behavior where larger indulgences like vacations are being replaced with small moments of joy and reward, such as a nice glass of wine at the end of the day. Consumers are moving toward leading brands that are comfortable and familiar,” said Jeff Dubiel. “The way consumers interact, shop and spend their time has morphed into a more digital experience, so our ability to quickly adjust our engagement during the pandemic has been important. As an example, when the Coachella music festival was postponed, Cupcake Vineyards provided a ‘Couchella’ live stream event – and a chance to win Coachella tickets for the rescheduled event in October.”

Source: Catalina