Bottle of … blue? New Spanish wine breaks color barrier - and millennials love it
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A bottle of white, a bottle of red, or how about a bottle of blue tonight?
No, you probably never thought about it, but six guys in Spain did — and now they are making a lot of money.
Along with the University of the Basque Country and the Basque Government's food research department Azti Tecnalia, the Spanish entrepreneurs launched some 10 months ago Gik, a mix of red and white wine that gets is distinct blueish hue from the anthocyanin pigment found in grape skins and indigo dye.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gik fits into the category of sweet, chilled wines and is being targeted to millennial consumers, or as one of its founders says, “real people.” It goes for 10 euros a bottle.
"We were raised in a country with a strong wine culture, but wine has always been a beverage put on a pedestal," Gik co-founder Aritz López told Eater. "So we thought about how it would be to have real people making wine for real people, not a wine made by experts to pseudo-connoisseurs."
Gik hasn’t made it to U.S. shelves yet but its creators are hoping to expand to the American market soon. Currently wine lovers can buy a bottle of blue in Spain and soon in France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands in the next two months.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The inspiration for the blue vino came from a book written by Korean-born business theorist W. Chan Kim entitled “Blue Ocean Strategy,” who advocates "movement, innovation, fluidity, change, and infinity” in business models.
Forgoing the so-called tech sheets that are handed out by many wine companies – listing things like the tasting notes and vineyard specifics of individual vintages – Gik instead opts for something a little different.
“We do not believe in wine tasting rules and we don’t think that anybody should need to study the bible of enology to enjoy a glass of wine,” the company says on its website. “That is why we made an anti-technical sheet.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The so-called “anti-technical sheet” includes suggestions to pair the blue wine with sushi, nachos with guacamole, pasta carbonara and smoked salmon. It also says the wine goes with the music of James Blake, Alt J, and Minus the Bear.