Good Morning! We hope that everyone had a nice and incident-free Thanksgiving (for those in the US) and that today is a day for relaxing and recuperating. I’m not sure if “Black Friday” is as much of a thing as it used to be but nonetheless I know this email is likely among a stack of others declaring theirs to be the best deal ever! I thought we should flip the script a little bit and talk about some things you probably shouldn’t buy this Black Friday, or maybe ever.

Also space terroir?? French agave farms? I’m talking about some other weird and interesting things as a little treat, for me, cause it’s my birthday. Or at least it was, a couple of days ago.

The AI Based, App Controlled, “Smart” Vodka that’s First of its Kind

I don’t like to come in here and say negative things just for the sake of it; It felt like the right day to stir the pot though. Today is one of those days in the US that usually makes you a little embarrassed of your fellow humans. Consumerism is more subtle now that we all shop online so heavily but it is still very much alive and well.

Enter: Smart Vodka technology. Luxury vodka in general doesn’t seem like a good investment. Lui and I both agree that vodka is not intended to be noteworthy, it’s goal being to have as little flavor as possible. So when I read this article about the release of the world’s first smart vodka I had to know what made it ‘smart’. This USB-C chargeable, app controlled vodka “is presented in an intelligent, interactive bottle system featuring an internal stir bar that creates the brand’s signature vortex.” The app allows users to change the color of the built in LEDs and the speed and pattern of the vortex in the bottle.

So how much will this new tech set you back? Around $250. But don’t worry, once you finish the vodka inside the refill bottles are only $50. And if you want the vodka without the cool tech attached the regular release of the vodka is only about $40.

How Space Aging Could Change the Wine and Spirits Landscape

Any other Trekkies out there? This article by Kathleen Willcox for Wine Searcher caught my eye with it’s title. I wasn’t expecting to get such an awesome read with so much interesting content. Willcox includes info from the studies that have been done so far on the International Space Station (ISS) and they are already yielding interesting results.

One study done by Ardbeg hoped to see how micro-gravity might effect the flavor expressions of their scotch. Willcox explains that the scotch was sent in vials with shards from the cask included inside. They kept control samples in the same format back on Earth to compare them with upon their return. The samples were launched into space in 2011 and came back to Earth in 2014. The space scotch interacted less with the wood than its Earth-based controls but it also had higher levels of tannin breakdown products. Willcox links the white paper study which I will also include for those interested.

In the world of wine space experimentation revolves around yeast strains. Michael David Winery based in California sent their juice to space to see if new microbial populations would be propagated in those conditions. The experiment did yield a new strain, a “species of Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified as MT965”. Michael David releases a new iteration of “Zero Gravity” Cabernet Sauvignon each year using the strain and has plans to launch more wine into space in the future.

Maybe wine and spirits are the major players in the next generation of the space race.

Southern France is Known For Wine but Could be Trying Their Hand at Agave

Chapoutier, a French wine company, has started the country’s first commercial cultivation project with agave. After purchasing land that has become unsuitable for grape production due to low water retention, the son of the company’s founder Maxime Chapoutier, Michel Chapoutier chose agave as the best cultivar for the space. Agave requires very little water so although it is expensive upfront it has very little upkeep cost as it matures. It also is being planted at a time when France is reporting double-digit growth in the agave spirits category.

France of course won’t be able to make tequila or mezcal by definition, but it will be interesting to see how the landscape impacts the flavor of the agave and how French wine makers will produce their own version of agave spirits.

This one is purely because I actually laughed watching it. It’s important not to take yourself too seriously and I love when a community can come together and laugh at themselves a little.

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