Wines of Germany Japan presents ‘immersive’ virtual wine event

Wines of Germany Japan has recently created an immersive virtual event that allows consumers to learn about German wine as if they are in a video game.

In the age of social distancing, virtual wine tastings and trade shows have become a ‘new normal’ that we are adapting to. And while we are increasingly used to video conference calls, in Japan, the Wines of Germany office recently went one further and has created a virtual wine world that consumers could explore to find out more about German wine.

This October, the office is staging a month-long wine promotion at Marunouchi House in Tokyo. As part of the campaign, the agency has recreated the event space and a German vineyard virtually on a free smartphone application called ‘Cluster’.

Upon logging into the portal, participants can explore the surroundings by controlling an avatar in a manner similar to a video game to learn more about German wines.

The opening event for the campaign took place virtually on 3 October. Masataka Takida, head sommelier of the Palace Hotel Tokyo Grand Kitchen, and German-Japanese model Naomi Trauden were the event hosts to share their knowledge and food pairing tips for German wines with the participants.

The virtual event also included an interactive treasure hunt quiz session, participants were invited to search around in the space to look for the wine bottles and answer questions to win the game.

Concurrently with the virtual event is a food and wine pairing campaign in real life at eight participating restaurants at Marunouchi House; where customers can try a selection of 20 German wines with paired dishes. The office is also boosting the campaign via social media, giving away German wines to 150 selected followers.