Wine Notes

Wine Notes is an application for iPhone and Android that allows wine lovers to take pictures of the labels, scan barcodes, classify, record, share information on bottles tasted (as producer, the year the grapes …) and to establish a profile of the wine by evaluating its acidity, tannin, body and choosing the corresponding flavors from fifty icons suggestive.

Data can be backed up online, and exported, allowing access to it also when the smartphone is not connected to the internet. (Note that this export is especially convenient if you use a utility such as note-taking like Evernote)

The application fee is about Play Google€0.74 and free on App Store.

Social Grapes

This application looks more like a social network, a Facebook for wine as tasting like a cellarbook online: its relevance comes from the exchange between subscribers, comments and ratings from other members. You will need to follow other tasters appear to see a timeline their latest tastings.

If you like to share your thoughts with other enthusiasts, you will not be disappointed, Social Grapes is thought to allow you to do the simplest way possible. Simply identify the bottle you just enjoy (scan the bar code, evaluating the quality of wine on a scale of 0 to 5, add descriptive keywords) to add a photo, and publish the tasting which will also air on Facebook and Twitter.

Only negative points, the evaluation system of wine a little too simple for our tastes, an interface available in the language of Shakespeare, and limited compatibility with the iPhone (no Android version is currently being planned).

Hello Vino

Hello Hello Vino is probably the mobile application the best known in the world of wine connoisseurs. She is two years since the benchmark guide participatory wines, which have a large database of wines supplied by its users (via smartphone iPhone, Android, mobile website, SMS and even!). As a reminder, this application is of great help in many occasions (gifts, gourmet meals, parties), and recommends a bit like a wine sommelier similar to those you love.

As a wine taster, your comments will be found very useful. And also you will take great pleasure in many reviews of other tasters.

TweetAWine

is not strictly speaking a mobile application, but a website that caught our attention, as the community of tasters is active in France. Created by Franck Merloz two years ago, displays on a timeline, latest tastings (Notice and notes) on shared social networks by members.

Simply add the tag to its tasting #wnote which is then republished on the site. It is also possible to add an image.

The most original and interesting is also the fun of the site: the more we share tastings, the more you earn points and badges originals, the colors of the different soils. This creates a little competition between the tasters the most active. Finally, also allows its members to keep abreast of the latest events on the wine world.

Having already made a small name in the French twittosphère could in fact, with all its small qualities, further gain importance. To discover them.

We can recall that the Loire vineyards ranks third among the appellations of France :

• First producer of white wine appellations.
• First region AOC sparkling wines (excluding champagne).
• Second producer of rosé wines.
• 52,000 ha spread over 14 departments.
• 2.9 million hl produced
• Six major varietals: Cabernet-franc, Chenin blanc, Gamay, Grolleau Noir, Muscadet, Sauvignon.
• 69 Appellations.

Overall climate temperate oceanic region of Nantes and Anjou, Saumur in continental influence to the Touraine, Loire and its tributaries play a significant moderating role in promoting the existence of a myriad microclimates conducive to grape growing, the variety of soils Armorican sandstone, shale, granite or gabbro, flint (slate), metamorphic rocks and tufa chalk (Touraine) contribute to the wide variety of wines.

We tasted blind decanted two white wines and two red.

• Domaine Patrick Baldwin – Anjou Blanc – 2008
• Domaine Huet – Mount – White medium dry – 2008
• Domaine Vacheron – red Sancerre – 2009
• Domaine de la Butte – Bourgeuil – 2002

Tasting well-designed, which allowed us to get an idea of ​​the Loire grapes. Judicious choice of wine, with quality vineyards, all took place in a very friendly atmosphere. Many thanks to Manuel Peyrondet, we are looking forward seeing him again in September on a different theme.

Here is a non-exhaustive review of what exists on the market to assist you in writing better wine notes.

Everybody is familiar with the wine notes written by famous wine tasters like Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson, Jamie Good , James Succling and James Molesworth (Wine Spectator) for the english speaking ones and Bettane et Desseauve, La revue des vins de France, Hachette Vins, Bernard Burtschy (l’Avis du vin) and the list is long !
Notes are given on difference scales on 100, 20 or 5 stars…

The 100 rating system:

• 96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase, and consume.

• 90 – 95 : An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.

• 80 – 89 : A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.

• 70 – 79 : An average wine with little distinction except that it is a soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.

• 60 – 69 : A below average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor, or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.

• 50 – 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.

“Monetizing” sometimes the access to their wine notes or they intend to monetize it with the traffic on their website or even partnering with merchants to sell the wine only.
Typically here is a good results of what is coming out of it:

The trend among the traditional wine writters / tasters is to allow the user to share their feeling about the wine and create thus a community.
Some other are completely dedicated to the sharing side of it. They differentiate introducing a community access to wine notes, in brief allowing everyone of us to give their point of view about a wine tasted. Eric Levine started few years ago with Cellar-Tracker is one of the oldest, Corkd.com under the drive of GaryVee gave this up few years ago but still exists, TweetAWine is a recent and french one allowing to use twitter as an exchange platform or even Vineolia with its interesting appreciation of the appearance, the nose and palate of the wine.

The rules more or less understood by each of the protagonists are :

• to write a wine note in a quickest way to keep a track of it, the use of smartphone app is quite often easing this.

• to make it easily share able on social medias

• to add a inventory features to know its own wine inventory (Cellar-tracker)

• to make it more accurate than a simple note /100 or /20

This drives my attention and leads me to different thoughts :

• Does it make wine sell better ?

Of course, this is difficult to tell! Considering that on these medias, people will spend time on sharing mainly the good wines that they drank. And that what’s positive about it! On a large scale what is being said about a product can only be interesting marketing and electing wine ambassadors are the best to promote the word of mouth. I think this has a positive effect still marginal for now but with great potential. Reviewing the latest development of these technologies a lot of capital is invested in these community endavours.

• Are the winemakers following what is being told about their wines ?

For the moment, Winemakers follow the famous wine tasters’ notes because these are monetarily interesting to them. Speculative wines are clearly driven by a 90+ note of RP (Wine Advocate) or WS (Wine Spectator) and these notes are clearly shown on winemakers and merchant websites. But some rare merchants are starting to use the community notes (cinderellawine.com with Cellar-tracker for example) because they bring value to its sales.

• Aren’t we mixing tasting and appreciation of wine ?

On a technical point of view, all the CIV (Comités Interprofessionnel du Vin) and its members in France will tell that you require a minimum of training, wine course and vocabulary to be able to write a wine note of quality. The Anglo-Saxon are also following this rule but the road to vulgarization is clearer. Indeed the exams to become Certified Wine Specialist (CWS) or the Diploma of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) are attesting that a professionalization of wine education is on the move. I followed the WSET third graduation with success and I can attest that appreciation (I like – I dislike) of wine is one thing and the other is producing a technical unbiased note about the wine.

Systematic accurate this is the method I use and that about 10k new users each year become familiar to.

Finally, many initiatives are designed to improve the understanding of wine to consumers which are more or less seasoned to it. And it is for me a recent revolution in the wine industry that is sure to surprise us again.

• Tarlant – Brut Nature Zero – NV
• Tarlant – La Vigne d’Or – NV
• Tarlant – Cuvée Louis – NV

Thus we become your guide on an international level !

• Networking with potential partners

  • We are steadily developping an importer network in major poles of USA.

  • With specific partners in asia and middle-east too!

  • We are effectively your guide on an international scale.

• Negociations

  • In good in-betweener, we set goals and needs of both parties.

  • We review together volumes, price and chosen products.

  • We are specifically skilled for this with anglo-saxon.

• Consolidation and logistics

  • It is the best way to get your product shortly on the market.

  • A full container being 16000 bottles, gathering needs is the solution to start with.

  • There are specific ways to save freight cost easily.

• Sales agent/Trade agreement contract

  • We have ready to use templates for this.

  • It can concern a specific client a region or the whole country.

  • We are keen on avoiding exclusivity which can easily harm product competitivity.

• Regulation on exporting wine products.

  • The logistic aspect of the trade is treated with experimented logisticians.

  • We develop the labels and the packaging of your products conforming the regulation.

  • We submit your projet through the FDA and the TTB.

• Market studies

  • We need a consumer and a retail approach for your product.

  • Each zones or pole of export is examined and studied for you.

  • We have examples of studies to present you on request.

Wine Pocket supports you to achieve this better and effectively!

• Search for wine business deals

  • All French wine regions.

  • Wineries and ‘négociants’ wines.

  • Specific searches on demand.

• Trademarks development

  • On products and prices specifications.

  • AOC/AOP wines, Varieties wines.

  • Labels, Packaging design.

• Marketing and communication (US)

  • With distributors companies in NYS.

  • With retail companies.

  • Together with promoting representatives.

• Samples

  • Discover the Wine in tube.

  • On order as bottles.

  • FDA Certification.

• Tasting in NYC

  • on prior request (few weeks ahead please).

  • contact Jean-Noël:

  • jn@wine-pocket.com

3 Quai Finkwiller
Tél : 03 88 36 10 87
Siteweb du caviste

Before considering new label design, the TTB is provide an exhaustive guide to have proper product to import to the USA. link

In order to have access to the US market, your label needs to be priory approved by the TTB. Most of the time the Importers are in charge of this process but being prepared for this process is important. Some regulations differences between the European (OCM) and the american (TTB) regulations can be to the advantage of the marketing of the product. Too many labels makes the wine origin difficult to identify.

Please note that information like that some mandatory information can also be written on the back label, in order to improve its readability.

Mandatory information

• Brand name : This may be the producer’s name, winery name, growing area, the name of the appellation where the wine originated, the grape variety, or a trademark name.

• Class: or type of wine designation : It is mandatory for all wine labels these classes or type can be (one of the following as a minimum):

• an appellation of origin

• a varietal designation: Bottles labeled by variety must be made from at least 75% of the specified grape.

• a regional designation example : “Bordeaux from France”

• another designation: if none of the previous designations is applicable to the product then the following ones can apply :’Red wine’, ‘Rose wine’, ‘white wine’

• Name and address of the bottler or producer: The words ‘bottled by’ must precede the name and address of the bottler. ‘Produced and bottled by’ is allowed if the bottler fermented and clarified at least 75% of the wine. This can also be replaced only by the name of the importer with ‘Imported by’. This is often a mention that figures on the back label.

• In the case of French wines exported to the USA, the country of Origin must be mentioned by “Product of France” or “Produced in France”.

• Alcohol content:  For wines under 14%, either the alcohol content or the designations ‘Table Wine’ or ‘Light Wine’ may be used; these denote an alcohol content between 7% and 14%. However, alcohol content is mandatory on any wines containing more than 14% alcohol by volume; these are often considered to be ‘fortified’.

• Declaration of sulfites: This information appears if the sulfur level in a wine is above a certain limit. Wines labeled as ‘Organic’ will be free of any artificially added sulfites, while those labeled ‘Made with organically grown grapes’ will have some sulfites.

• Government health warning: Any wine bottled or imported for sale or distribution in the United States must have a health warning on the label.

• Net contents : the net content must be stated in metric units of measure (example : 750ML).

Optional information

• Vintage date : can be shown only if an appellation of origin smaller than a country is shown. At least 95% of the grapes used must be from a particular vintage in order for that year to appear on the label.

• Estate bottled : means that 100% of the wine came from the grape grown by winery and the winery and the vineyard must be in the same viticultural area.

• Viticultural area appellation indicates that 85% or more of the wine was produced from grapes grown in the named area.

Conclusions

Knowing the regulations allows to have more powerful label on the american wine racks. The necessary designations to convince the consumers to buy the products are dependent of the market. Bring an standing-out label on the shelves can be a complex task but several examples showed that with a strong focus and teamwork of the importer is key to succeed on the market.

Delicious sweets!

As you all know, in February, Wine-Pocket was denied a liquor license and had to relocate from Broadway to Central Avenue. Our new location is perfect for a wine store and we look forward to opening soon. However, we also fell in love with the building on Broadway and didn’t want to see it go un-used.

One day, while enjoying a cup of coffee at Dolci, I noticed a young woman and her friend. They spent quite awhile admiring all the beautifully decorated cakes and cookies. I chuckled at the look of pure joy in her eyes as she finally selected her cupcakes. A week later, I sampled a strawberry lemonade vegan cupcake, and I understood what all the excitement was about! Dolci’s cupcakes are out of this world! Jean-Noel even thinks some wine will pair well with specialty cupcakes.

I’ve always been a fan of ice cream and never really cared for sorbet too much. That all changed one day during a meeting at Dolci. David was in the back area experimenting with a new recipe… grapefruit and vodka sorbet! He offered me a sample and before I knew it, the sorbet was gone. There was a hint of vodka and small chunks of grapefruit that gave a wonderful, fresh taste. I was hooked! I can’t wait to try the burnt caramel sea salt gelato next!

Being from France, Jean-Noel is a pretty tough critic when it comes to baguettes. After all, it is the French who created this style of bread. We’ve purchased baguettes from all over the Buffalo area, and none seem to meet his criteria. Therefore, he was quite hesitant when we purchased one of Dolci’s baguettes to have with dinner. Well, I am happy to say that Jean-Noel was pleasantly surprised with its crunchiness and natural yeast flavors. It is possible to impress the French guy, after all.