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Blue wine is fermented from a combination of red grapes and white grapes, with pigments and sweeteners added.[1][2] Producers of blue wine claim that the whole producing process only contains raw material derived from plants.[2] However, researchers have found that the blue color in some blue wines comes from synthetic food coloring.[3] Blue wine's mild, sweet taste makes it best suited to the role of an aperitif or cocktail when dining.[4] Blue wine is named for its electric blue color. Its creators were inspired by the marketing theory in Blue Ocean Strategy.[5]
The first blue wine in the world was produced by a Spanish company called Gïk in 2016.[5][2] This wine is now sold in 25 countries around the world.
They worked with chemical engineering researchers at University of the Basque Country to develop a product with a distinctive color while maintaining taste.[2] They targeted customers unfamiliar with traditional wine manufacture with their unconventional product.[2] Gïk's creators marketed their product as innovatively shaking up the traditional wine industry, and maintained this image with stunts like suggesting alt music playlists as pairings on the label.[2]
According to its producers Gïk and Vindigo, blue wine is made as follows:
- Combine the different kinds of red grapes and white grapes.
- Add natural pigments (anthocyanin and indigotine) for color.[2]
- Add non-caloric and sugar-free sweeteners.
However, this description of the steps is incomplete, as it does not state when the artificial blue colorant is added.
Researchers at Paul Sabatier University found via high-precision spectroscopy that the color of Vindigo and Imajyne blue wine originates not from any natural pigment but rather from brilliant blue FCF (aka Blue 1 or E133),[3] the same food coloring used for Blue Curaçao, blue Jolly Ranchers, and many other products.
Blue wine tastes like a fruit wine due to its mellowness and sweetness.[4] Some people find it tastes of syrup but fail to detect the sweetener in the wine.[6] Food & Wine reviewers, however, disliked its artificial sweetness, comparing it to blue Equal packets at a café.[6] It has a lower alcohol content than most wine.[2] Cosmopolitan reviewers compared it to blue Jolly Ranchers, diluted wine mixed with Kool-Aid, and "jungle juice", but some thought it might be good in mixed drinks.[7] It has a fruit fragrance.[4] Gïk blue wine says on the label that it is best paired with foods like Carbonara.[2] Others[who?] prefer it chilled and paired with seafood.[4]
René Le Bail, creator of Vindigo blue wine, described the taste as a combination of fruits, including many various berries and passion fruit.[4]
Sushi Artist Madrid was one of the first restaurants to sell blue wine in Spain, and found it to be more popular with some of their customers than expected.[2]
Some customers, especially in France, Spain and other western countries, dislike blue wine, because its production methods, taste, and other qualities violate their countries' winemaking tradition.[2] Additionally, many people[who?] still believe that only curaçao should be marketed as the blue alcoholic beverage.[4] To some[who?], blue wine should not be regarded as wine due to its low alcohol content and sweetener, making it just a beverage with mild and sweet fruit taste.
Chad Walsh, a sommelier, claims that the main trend of wine is still towards natural and traditional products, which blue wine is not. This trend explains why it's hard to find blue wine on a formal wine list. However, blue wine is more likely to appear at parties, casual bars, and other informal occasions. It is also sold in retail stores and online.[2]
In 2016, Gïk became the first company to sell blue wine.[2] The European Union ruled that this product could not be labeled as wine. In order to continue to sell its product, Gïk ceased labeling it as wine in the EU.[8]
Vindigo, a French company founded by René Le Bail, also produces blue wine.[4] It launched in the south of France in August, 2018, and was more successful in that region than Gïk.[9] Despite French customers' interest in buying blue wine, no French vineyards would work with Vindigo, forcing it to be produced in Spain.[10] Vindigo uses Chardonnay grapes.[9] Vindigo has had its greatest successes in countries such as Italy and China.[10]
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