Lil' Updates 10/14/24: Podcast, Bottle Breakdown, & Field Trip!

Sup Slik Skool? Lots to go over this week:

I talked with importer Randall Bush about what it's like being a new importer in the US, the challenges he faces, and the joy that comes with it. I feel like it's quite pertinent to the questions that people have in Slik Skool. Check it out below :)

2. This is a pretty interesting bottle of wine I wanted to go over with you. 4 big things make this bottle special. Almost all of these points have come with the newest generation taking over the Familie Moussé estate.

Starting with the wrapper on top, it's made from recycled materials from grape musts. Grape musts are the leftover skins, seeds, and stems from the winemaking processes. There are companies that recycle musts by using them mainly for compost, but I had personally never seen paper being made from it.
The Special Club bottle without the special club label. You can find more of the history of the special club here but essentially it was an award given to Champagne producers for making "the best vintages from the most unique terroir". The best of the best for grower Champagne. I had never seen the Special Club signature bottle with the insignia without a unique label. This happened because they were awarded the Special Club in 2022, so they were sent the bottles for the wines that year. Champagne takes time to ferment in the bottle, so when two years passed by for aging the wines and the new generation took over, they decided that they did not care about the Special Club (I find that lots of the newer generation think of this club as a bit outdated). Although it technically cannot be sold as Special Club, they have to keep the bottles and sell the wine with their estate labels.
The bottle itself is 30% lighter than traditional Champagne bottles. This is the newest technology for the bottle to be as light as possible while still being able to hold the pressure of a bottle of bubbles.
Finally, in the last photo, you'll see 'NFC' in the corner. This is a tracking system used specifically for collectors. It is essentially a tracker that keeps track of the location of the wine as well as preventing fraud. You can read more about practical use cases and how NFCs work here.

Bottles like this are the future of wine. It has nothing to do with what's in the bottle but how the bottle and label can help the producer and consumer alike. Pretty neat

3. Finally, let's talk about a field trip! I was talking with Melissa at Bottles Up, a wine shop here in Chicago, about getting a group together to head to Holland, Michigan to visit Maxx Eichberg at Stranger Wine Co. Those who know... know!! These are some of the best wines coming out of the entire United States right now. If you're interested please let me know if the poll which weekend works best for you.

Thank you Slik Skool, you rule <3

-Marie

Oct 26th or 27th

November 9th or 10th

November 16th or 17th

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