High-tech wine labels find the perfect temperature

Family winery Taylors Wines is on a mission to educate Australians about the impact of temperature on the taste of wine.

The company’s media campaign ‘Live Better by Degrees’ aims to help everyday wine drinkers enjoy what’s in the glass a bit more and appreciate wine the way the winemaker intended.

“Our warm temperatures are perfect for cultivating vineyards, but as the vast majority of us drink red wines at ‘room temperature’, most red wine is being drunk far too warm — and anyone who has drunk a warm beer knows that temperature affects flavour,” said Tony Singleton, managing partner/head of planning for Mr Wolf, the creative agency responsible for the campaign.

Taylors’ consumer research found that eight out of 10 Australians drink their reds at room temperature, meaning that every week, 2.5 million bottles of red wine are inadvertently being drunk in a way that strips them of their character and subtlety.

To assist quaffers to identify if their wines are at optimum temperature, a temperature sensor has been placed on the back label of all Taylors Estate and Promised Land wines. Utilising thermochromatic ink technology, the sensor changes colour depending on the temperature of the wine, turning green when white wine is just right to pour and turning fuchsia for red wines.

Temperature is a critical element in maximising a wine’s flavour. Experts recommend that most red wines should be served between 12 and 18°C, while the average Australian home, particularly in summer, is at or above 22°C. And while white wine is better enjoyed on the chillier end of the thermometer (between 6 and 12°C), bringing down the temperature too low will mask the wine’s unique characteristics. 

Taylors Wines Chief Marketing Officer Cameron Crowley said the campaign brings attention to an issue that most Australian wine drinkers don’t even realise exists.

“Taylors is passionate about helping consumers get the best experience when they enjoy our wines, and this idea gives us a true point of difference while showcasing our heritage of innovation,” Crowley said.

“Once we understood the issue of temperature, we immediately jumped into testing product viability — we wouldn’t accept anything but a 1°C accuracy range, and our label printers were up to the challenge to accomplish this task.

“We’ve received an amazing response from the new sensors from our retail partners and distributors around the world, as it gives us a new way to enhance the wine drinking experience for our consumers.”