The wine industry is not known for being at the forefront of technology. It is a craft built on heritage and traditions, where longevity and patience are rewarded with fine vintages. That reputation, however, may be about to change – as the virtual worlds of NFTs and blockchains are about to become a whole lot boozier.
One of the companies leading the expansion into the digital realm is Crurated. The digital wine members club is launching a virtual wine cellar, in what is thought to be the first-ever blockchain-backed metaverse made for wine collectors.
Crurated’s virtual wine cellar, due to launch in spring, is not trying to replace the physical wine cellar, nor will its users pretend to guzzle pixels in their living rooms. More accurately it wants to be an alternative to how collectors access and keep track of their bottles. The platform will allow users to view their wines that may otherwise be locked away in bonded warehouses without jeopardizing the condition of the bottles.
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Rather than keeping track of a collection in a list or Excel spreadsheet, users can simply don a VR headset and see their Burgundies and Bordeauxes displayed on an ‘infinite wall’, Crurated’s virtual interpretation of a traditional wine cave.
Other features of Crurated’s virtual wine cellar include a multi-player experience, which allows users to invite their friends into their digital space, interact with sommeliers, ask questions to the Crurated AI and learn more about the bottles. As new bottles are purchased, instead of merely receiving a receipt via email, owners can now enjoy an expansive virtual unboxing experience.
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Since every bottle purchased through Crurated is certified with an NFT, a full account of the bottle’s journey from purchase to collector is recorded on the blockchain. Within Crurated’s metaverse, at a virtual touch, owners are able to reveal this NFT, revealing the wine’s story from vine to bottle.
[See also: Jamie Ritchie on Leaving Sotheby’s for the NFT Space]
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