The wine industry has always had a deep bond with tradition. It was only until the Pandemic outburst that the digital tools available were widely and deeply accepted as a global solution to Covid restrictions.
The wine industry is known to be very traditional and human-centred. Personal relationships have been at the centre of wine experiences, leading to the development of a strong enotourism structure, that has been very successful around the globe. It is no wonder why in the past decades, wineries invested more and more in hospitality infrastructure, prioritizing hospitality over developing online platforms and innovating into the digital era. Only at the height of the pandemic, the wine industry was forced to deviate from its strict traditional in-person approach to new online ways of tasting, trading, and distributing their wines.
Almost exactly 2 years after the first restrictions were placed, what has the industry learnt?
It is sad to admit that the twisted legacy of the COVID19 pandemic on the global wine industry has been digitalisation.
With most of us, if not all, being absolutely familiar with platforms like zoom, cloud-based video teleconferencing software, became an essential tool for virtual wine experiences. Nowadays everyone can join and participate in online wine tasting at the same time. And this gave wineries all around the globe the exposure to access a whole new way of communicating their work.
From IG live to specialized platforms, the number of zoom experiences offered for moments got slightly overwhelming.
Some people are reluctant to do zoom now, as it reminds them of lockdown
Ironically, they become more personal due to winemakers being able to jump into the game, which is not always possible during visits.
Accessibility increased, allowing people to visit wineries on their bucket lists and meet winemakers they admire.
Communication platforms improved a lot. Not only did we learn about how to mute ourselves, but as the pandemic evolved, the digital tools became more sophisticated, allowing organizers and moderators to deliver improved experiences.
It made people more familiar with digital experiences, breaking the barriers, particularly for those more traditionalist and older consumers.
Also, a large number of wineries, experts, enthusiasts, and other stakeholders moved to virtual wine events, fairs and webinars.
What is the next step for the digital wine era? While wine digitalization in the Web-2 is definitely a significant advantage that Covid-19 left us, it’s time to consider what’s waiting for us in the Web3.
WIV technology is at the forefront of expanding the frontiers of online wine tasting and virtual wine events deep into the metaverse. The metaverse is a computer-simulated world where human and non-human interactions are avatar-based. It might sound scary, but everyone, from tech giants to fashion brands, seems to be in a rush to take a bite from the revolutionary metaverse!
Can you imagine how cool I’d be to get yourself to taste wine in the metaverse? Can you even picture how it’d look like?
Through its soon-to-be-delivered Sandbox game, WIV technology is poised to redefine the global wine industry on a never imagined scale. Their sandbox approach to revolutionizing the industry allows pretty much everyone to learn the ropes of winemaking, distribution channels, and supply chain through their avatars in the metaverse. Answer quizzes, play around with climatic variables, and get your winemaker hat on for clever decision making. All that, while having tons of fun.
I know, fascinating!
With the pandemic finding its way into history books, there are strong indications that online wine tasting is here to stay. Stay tuned to learn more about wine experiences in the metaverse!
Written by Flor Gomes
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It is a lot to keep up I know- but stay tuned to learn more about these fascinating technologies that will shape the future of the wine industry!
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