VinExpo recap: Fun stuff (shiny containers!) but also serious stuff (workers’ cooperatives!)

I had a blast at this year’s VinExpo/Drinks America. And no, it wasn’t just the slight tipsiness that set in around midday despite my best efforts to use those charming mini spittoons they gave us, nor was it the chance to see wine friends I haven’t talked to in months. It’s just that the wine and beverage industry just keeps making stuff that delights me.

Here’s are a few of the interesting things I saw at VinExpo/Drinks America. I’m looking forward to posting more in-depth articles on some of these categories and products later, so stay tuned for future posts. Click the images for more information on each one (links open in new windows to external sites).

A tasting of the Okinawan distilled spirit Awamori. Very little of this beverage is exported outside Japan, making it rare even in specialty shops. Stay tuned for a full Awamori article—it’s too good not to share more!

Central European wines seemed to be everywhere, like these offerings from Georgian winery Kartuli Marani. I’m hoping more of these will be imported to the U.S. in the future.

Hooray for worker-owned wine production! Thokozani, a worker’s cooperative from Wellington, SA, aims to empower Black and mixed-race South Africans. I’ll be writing a full post on this winery shortly. They’re doing excellent work in what can be a terribly exploitative industry.

Beverage startup Meta is making what they term “hard elixir,” a fun addition to the hard seltzer/alcopop market. My wine and beer friends can laugh, but I have a tremendous weakness for alcopops, and these ones are a bit more complex than your average Lime-A-Rita. I particularly liked “Vibe,” which tastes a bit like my favorite Puerto Rican calorie bomb, coquito.

Know what else I have a weakness for? Shiny bottles. I can’t wait to see these being poured directly into someone’s mouth at 2 am at the very loud queer clubs I find myself in about once a year. Bottle aside, I enjoyed the flavors I tasted and could see them improving a tropical cocktail.

Brezio Bitter is a spicy, citrusy Italian liqueur that I’m tempted to drink by itself. But I can imagine this one in less sweet, more complex versions of classics like the Negroni.

Pulltex had their AntiOx wine stopper on display, which features an activated carbon filter. No word on how well it works, but my spouse welcomes any gadget that enables me to stop at a single glass.

Another weakness of mine: innovative packaging. Tap3 Innovations makes ready-to-drink wine cocktails with multiple flavors per box. Sounds simple, but as a veteran creator of pitcher cocktails for parties, I’m in love with the idea of opening a box and letting my guests sort it out.

Yep, that’s real ocean grunge. Wine of the Sea’s gimmick is submerging fine wine and seeing what happens. The company claims that consistently cool temps, constant motion, zero light, and high pressure result in a unique (and apparently accelerated) aging process.

Another chic addition to the non-alcoholic beverage market. I tried all three of their current varieties, and while it’s not exactly like alcoholic wine, it’s a great-tasting wine-ish beverage perfect for weeknights, and delivers flavors and complexity that most sodas and seltzers don’t.