The consumption of wine has grown continuously over the course of twenty years. It’s no longer a “fancy-schmancy” drink only ordered at high-end, five-star restaurants nor is it aimed solely for the older generation. Millennials now consume more wine than their parents did when they were that age. With red wine, white wine, and even pink wine being available to us, it’s hard to choose the bottle for the night. So why not choose something completely different and go for blue wine?
Photo courtesy of Gïk
Gïk Blue Wine is made by six Spanish entrepreneurs in their twenties. They aren’t vintners. They are creators. The six sought out to find the most traditional and close-minded industry out there to be rebellious and innovative. They chose the wine industry to create something drastically different. They broke the tradition of having red or white wine by producing an eye-catching blue wine and changed the drinking experience by making the wine sweeter and easier to drink.
So why blue?
Photo courtesy of Gïk
Their project began after they stumbled upon a book called The Blue Ocean Strategy. The book explained the difference between red oceans and blue oceans. Red oceans are when sharks have torn so many little fish to pieces that the blood now taints the ocean. Blue oceans are when there is no competition. The fish are free to swim.
“Thus the poetic idea of transforming a red ocean into a blue ocean through changing the most traditional red liquid into blue…,” they say on their website. Alongside that, the color blue represents movement, innovation, and infinity in psychology and is associated with flow and change.
Photo courtesy of Gïk
The wine took two years to develop with collaboration of the University of Basque Country and Food Tech research departments. The base of the wine is a mixture of red and white grapes. Their grapes do not originate in one specific place in Spain. Rather there are four main vineyards that produce Gïk’s grapes. Then anthocyanin and indigo pigments are added for the wine’s color. Lastly, sweeteners are put in in order for it to be easier to drink.
Photo courtesy of Gik
The creators of Gïk recommend serving the 11.5% ABV beverage cold due to its sweetness, keeping it in a cool, dry area (like a refrigerator). Their target market is for the younger crowd seeking something unconventional for their wine experience. The price of a 750 ml bottle is €10, which is approximately $11.33.
So far, the product is only available online through their website. The company is looking to expand to France, the Netherlands, and other European countries within the next months. But have no fear, they are “eyeing the US market” after things settle down in Europe. Because let’s be real, the US totally needs red, white, and blue wine, right?
Photo courtesy of extravaganzi.com