Identifying Scents in Fragrant Sake

Takasago Ginga Shizuku Divine Droplets is described as one of the "Rolls Royce's of sake." Takasago (est. 1889), the producer, is located in Hokkaido the coldest region in Japan (known as the land of ice) and drip-presses the sake in an igloo that is rebuilt every winter. vineconnections.com

"Each year, after the temperature drops below 14 Fahrenheit, Takasago builds an Ice Dome outside the main kura building. It is an igloo inside of which the temperature stays about 28 F, with 90% humidity and no wind The low temperature means "nasty bacteria" cannot survive, allowing them to make clean, pure, ultra-premium saké. Additionally, they separate the clear saké from the fermenting rice lees not by pressing, but rather by putting it into canvas bags and allowing the saké to drip out slowly overnight." wine.com

I came across this highly aromatic sake at an Omakase restaurant in Boston last year, by way of the waiter's recommendation. Even though we asked for a dry sake (out of not knowing anything else about describing sake), the waiter recommended something a little less dry, but " very silky." The waiter warned, "this sake is delicious, but has a very strong banana scent on the nose." This was fair warning. This sake smelled incredibly of banana but did not taste of banana in the slightest.

This experience peaked my interest in sake, and I have been opting to try new sakes whenever possible. It has been delicious. Thus far I have found that I really enjoy cloudy/opaque sake- I'm not entirely sure whether that is because of the flavor, creamier texture, or something else. Looking forward to more sake exploration in the coming months!

Taking Vino Volo to the Next Level

Doug Tomlinson's talk was one of my favorites that we've had the pleasure of learning from. Like any good story-driven consumer, hearing about the Vino Volo concept and intention from Doug had me looking forward to my next layover. What made me even more committed to becoming a loyal consumer (yes, I did download the Vino Volo app during Doug's talk) was the candor and openness through which he shared his personal experience and learning. He was lovely.

However, if I am honest, I have not been the biggest Vino Volo fan in the past. I've visited Vino Volo twice (both times out of JFK) and each time I found the service to be too slow and the bill to be a little too expensive given my experience with the food. The wine was always great though :)

I'd like to briefly share my experiences before getting into a few ideas for Vino Volo, that came to mind during Doug's talk.

My first visit was out of a desire to find something healthy at the airport- a highly underserviced market if you ask me (no, I don't think packaged "healthy" snacks like fruit leather from Cibo Express count). I took a quick look at the menu posted outside the JFK Vino Volo and grabbed a seat at the bar. The ambiance was lacking (the furniture felt like anything else at the airport), and the service was a little slow. I wasn't upset (I don't have high expectations of airport dining experiences), but I also didn't leave impressed or excited to choose Vino Volo again.

The second time I visited Vino Volo was with my boyfriend prior to boarding a weekend getaway flight. We were both excited to get out of the NYC cold for a few days and wanted to start unwinding with a glass of wine before the flight. The wine flights were great (and a fun touch) and the snack was fine, however, the service was painfully slow, and we ended up leaving Vino Volo slightly frazzled and worried that we weren't going to make boarding on time.

Now for the ideas (in no particular order):

1. Branding/furniture/decor: Consider updating the furniture/decor (I realize that there is a significant cost associated with this, but the current look does not entice younger consumers)
2. Healthy food options: Capitalize on the healthy food drought in airports (expand offerings and marketing). The menu is already in a good place but there is room to e.g. expand the salad options. This could be the reason a new customer chooses Vino Volo.
3. To-go (or order in advance, perhaps via the app) healthy lunch/dinner/snack boxes for the plane: Meal and snack options, particularly on domestic flights, are limited and expensive (value for money is low). The only somewhat decent options sell out quickly, and nothing is healthy. If Vino Volo can offer a few healthy (and/or premium and/or delicious) to-go or order in advance boxes (with or without wine pairing), and advertise this offering effectively, they could convert the many unsatisfied, hangry travelers. 
4. Serve-yourself wine dispenser fridge: For travelers who need to be in and out quickly, and feel more comfortable controlling the time that they spend at an airport eatery, self-service is often preferred. The serve yourself wine fridge gives those travelers the option to taste, pay, and pour themselves a glass, on their own time, stress-free. The wine fridge can be programmed to price different pours according to the establishment's pricing. A guest can choose to taste, pour a flight or a glass, and Vino Volo can price each choice accordingly. The payment system can be set up so that the guest swipes their card, apple pay, or in-app barcode to pay for their selection. It's a great way for guests to explore different wines, remove the friction of service time, and creates an insider's club/home feeling of serving yourself. For Vino Volo this is an opportunity to showcase wines, introduce new wines, and/or move SKUs off the shelf.
   
5. High-quality coffee play: Airport coffee is mediocre at best, perhaps Vino Volo can offer and advertise high-quality coffee. 

I would love to know what you all think!

Mondavi Case Recap

I regrettably had to miss class on Thursday, which was such a bummer because I was looking forward to hearing from the Mondavi family! It's one of the few names that a casual wine drinker such as myself recognizes.

I thought the aftermath of the Mondavi public offering was very interesting - it was a very logical move for the family to raise money, but the financial markets were not optimistic about the offering. I think they saw that worldwide wine consumption was growing significantly, but they didn't believe in Mondavi's ability (or any other winery for that matter) to capitalize on that growth, despite good past performance (leader in the field, almost $170M in revenue in 1993). I think the biggest obstacles were the hesitation of Mondavi's lender, Bank of America, the phylloxera louse, and international competition from Chile, Australia, South America, and Europe.

One thing that stuck with me is that during the pitches, the Mondavi sons said "we sell wine through education..." I think the family had to be able to convince the analysts of "why Mondavi" in order to improve the share price.

I had a couple ideas of how to react. Firstly, I think ensuring the narrative and business actions consistent was important. Mondavi made the finest wine using old-world techniques and wanted to make sell them to the American consumer who wasn't as refined as a French consumer. As such, Mondavi would try to create a culture of appreciation for premium wine, and this is consistent with the narrative. What I didn't think was consistent with the narrative was the Woodbridge investment - I think Mondavi should've concentrated on the more premium lines instead of moving down the market. I wonder if he talked about that investment in class?

Lastly, I think Mondavi needed to convince analysts of its growth potential - either through growth in the U.S. or even international expansion. China would be an attractive market if Mondavi can establish a name there. I think it would be easy since they already had a partnership with Baron Phillipe de Rothschild.

I would really appreciate it if someone who attended class could fill in the blanks for me. What did Robert Mondavi do after the IPO? What's their strategy now?

Carbon Emissions Are Getting You Drunk

What impact are greenhouse gasses having on wine drinkers?  For one thing, they’re getting us loaded. 

In the 1980s, wine averaged 12% to 12.5% alcohol.  Today the average is 13.5% to 14.5%.[1]  We learned why in high school biology.  Think back to the photosynthesis formula:

CARBON DIOXIDE + WATER  >>  SUGAR + OXYGEN

Carbon dioxide levels are at their highest ever reported.[2]  This means plants have tons of inputs to make sugar, and grow faster.  But this reached a natural limit, and plants are now replacing other nutrients with… more sugar.  Generally, this means our plant-based food is more carbohydrate-rich and less mineral-rich.[3]  For wine, this means more alcohol. 

To develop proper tannins and flavor, winemakers must leave the grape to ripen on the vine.  However, these growers have increasingly noticed that sugars are forming earlier and earlier in a grape’s lifecycle.  This means that more sugars are accumulating over time.  During the fermentation process, these sugars convert to alcohol, and overwhelm the wine.[4] 

Some winemakers accept the compromise and pick the grapes earlier, sacrificing flavor and tannins and embracing high-acidity for low alcohol content.  Others allow the grapes to stay on the vine so long the phenolics become heavily concentrated, then add acid later.  This is seen as a highly intrusive strategy, but one that is popular in warmer regions.  And some winemakers just add water.  Chile, concerned about the potency, recently altered their rules to allow adding up to 7% water and this practice has long been allowed in California.[5] 

Technology may be able to mitigate some of these effects, but next time you’re three sheets to the wind, blame the CO₂.

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[1] https://www.ft.com/content/ea9bda5c-c82f-11e4-8fe2-00144feab7de

[2] https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/.

[3] https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/13/food-nutrients-carbon-dioxide-000511

[4] https://winejournal.robertparker.com/rising-alcohol-in-wines-and-rising-co2-levels

[5] https://www.ft.com/content/ea9bda5c-c82f-11e4-8fe2-00144feab7de