‘Labels 2.0 offer more space for the real story,’ says wine importer and wine enthusiast Henrico van Lammeren, chairman of the Royal Association of Dutch Wine Merchants‘ Association (KVNW). ’The QR code enables you to communicate effectively.’
Text: Henrico van Lammeren | Image: Unsplash
‘For many consumers, a wine label is a puzzle. It contains information about quality, origin, alcohol content, grape varieties and allergens, and the producer also wants to add their own message. The result: an overloaded label. In addition, there is now a new requirement to list ingredients and nutritional information. There is simply no longer enough space for all that information.
Fortunately, the European legislator has introduced a clever solution: the QR code. Nutritional information and allergens remain visible on the label, but details of the ingredients may be accessed via a QR code. And that has led to a revolution. With a smartphone to hand, the information you need can be found quickly. Not less transparency, but actually more – no longer limited to the physical label. Via a QR code, in addition to the mandatory information, supplementary context can also be shared – about the production method, origin and sustainability.
Scan
With a simple scan, consumers gain access to the world behind the bottle: grape varieties, winemaking methods, certifications and, of course, the winemaker’s personal story. In their own language, up to date and without compromising on readability. That offers opportunities.
For producers and importers to tell their story more fully, without overloading the label. For consumers to make better-informed choices. And for the sector as a whole: a step towards modernisation and digitalisation.
’The QR code is therefore not merely a technical addition, but a fundamental change. Not a smaller label, but a better label, with space for the real story behind the wine. The KVNW wholeheartedly supports this development.’
This article also appears in WINELIFE issue 101, shop here.
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