A selection of sites offers online purchases and tastings guided by expert sommeliers, with excellent explanations related to the world of wine
The difficult health situation has put a strain on the food and wine sector. Restaurants, bars, wine bars. But also entrepreneurs who stand higher in the production chain. Examples are the numerous wineries that have interrupted the tastings in their specialized premises or the wine shops, where the fans found funny goodies.
But the best response to any crisis is to seek new solutions and offer new services. In this sense, many wineries have tried not to lose contact with wine lovers, offering the possibility of not giving up good drinking, despite social restrictions. Tannico is the largest online wine shop specialized in the sale of Italian and foreign wines – but also beers, spirits and champagne. There are also other online stores that offer an excellent and varied choice. An example is Enowinery – e-commerce launched by Enoitalia, the first private winery in Italy for the number of bottles produced and for years among the top ten in the wine sector for turnover. This service differs because it is neither a wine bar nor a general market place, but it is a winery that sells a selection of its productions online, without intermediation and minimizing costs. Among the novelties designed for those who are forced to go home, the tasting boxes with a guided selection of bottles selected for themes or according to the combination with food. The winery Umberto Cesari has created a real Digital Wine Experience: online tastings already active during the first lockdown in March 2020. Different ways – from basic to premium – in which there is no lack of instructions to prepare wines for tasting and tips to prepare delicious pairings with foods, also based on what guests have at home. Smart Tasting instead is the idea of a young Milanese company that launched the wine tasting remotely: Divinea is an online platform of wine experience that connects producers and wine lovers, so as to continue the activity of the experiences related to the world of quality wine, despite the restrictions dictated by social distancing. Prices range from 30 euros up to 200 euros depending on the type of product offered in the tasting. In some cases, in fact, producers decide to combine wine with other products such as olive oil, cold cuts, cheeses or biscuits to be combined with wines for tasting. The Vite Turchese, wine bar in the heart of Barolo – a city symbol of wine excellence in the world and elected last November as the city of wine 2021, dedicates their boxes to Piedmont. We recommend the Selezione Jackson Pollock: a Barbera d’Alba, a Roero Arneis and a Nebbiolo. Three labels that are absolutely different in color, complexity, taste and winemaking process, but share two important qualities: the intensity of the taste and the visual vivacity. Nothing more similar to the art of Jackson Pollock, artist exponent of abstract expressionism better known as action painting. And there are also those who have inaugurated a Wine Club for the occasion: this is the case of the Poggio Torselli winery, a space of sharing and dialogue between the estate of San Casciano in Val di Pesa owned by the Zamparini family and fans. The Wine Club membership formulas are two: Poggio Membership, the basic line that involves sending six labels, and 1427
Membership, the premium proposal with the shipment of twelve bottles and a wider range of benefits. The story of each label will be accompanied by technical notes useful for tasting and recipes for gastronomic combinations sought. Poggio Torselli also offers a concierge service: direct contact with a person dedicated to deepen the curiosity of members, provide further suggestions, recipes and services. Berlucchi, the historic Franciacortina winery, from Palazzo Lana starts a lithographed package to give a journey into history with the two emblematic Franciacorta of the territory: 1 bottle of 61 Satèn, with its seductive softness of tradition; 1 bottle of 61 Nature 2013, with the most contemporary and uncompressed style of Franciacorta; 4 flûte Franciacorta, to allow the wine to express itself at its best and 1 virtual visit/tasting card that will accompany the “visitor” in a sensory and virtual tour of the winery, when and how you want comfortably in the comfort of their homes at 75 euros. At Tinazzi, through the company’s e-commerce, you can access several interactive tastings in the form of videos: ranging from Veneto to Puglia, each wine is accompanied by the explanation of the sommelier, to listen to while sipping a good Amarone or a full-bodied Primitivo di Manduria. Pasqua Vini offers three curious options to let you test, in total relaxation, the best of their products as if you were in Valpolicella: the Passionesentimento box including a bottle of Passionesentimento white IGT and a bottle of Passionesentimento red IGT; the Pasqua Icon box, with inside a bottle of “11 Minutes” and a bottle of “Hey French”; the Famiglia Pasqua box with a bottle of Valpolicella Ripasso DOC 2018 and a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2015. All three packages are also equipped with a digital box including corkscrew, glasses for two people and an invitation for an interesting virtual tour of the cellar.
