Holey moley, water ‘streams’ into wine
Talk about grape expectations. SodaStream, the countertop appliance that for years has allowed folks to turn regular tap H2O into single glasses of soda, will soon allow oenophiles to turn water into wine. Into a bubbly Riesling, to be exact. The Israeli company will soon start selling for the holiday season bottles of the white wine concentrate that will allow lovers of the varietal to make 12 glasses that yield a 10-percent alcohol content — about midrange for a Riesling.
Sadly, US wine lovers won’t be able to imbibe the tasty new product — it will be available only in Germany, the company said on its Web site.
To be able to pour a single-service glass of wine is convenient “in particular when only a few glasses are drunk” and you don’t want to open a whole bottle, the company explained.
“Ideal for the spontaneous moment of indulgence after work, the funny girls’ evening or a drink for two with your loved one,” SodaStream said in a pitch for the product it calls “Sparking Gold.”
For skeptical sommeliers, SodaStream claims that an independent taste test it conducted in Germany last month found that 76 percent of tasters enjoyed Sparkling Gold “as much as or more” than fancy French champagne brands, including Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, which can sell for upward of $50 a bottle.
The price of each bottle of Riesling concentrate was not yet available — nor was the date when sales will begin.
Shares of SodaStream, up roughly 70 percent this year as of Monday’s close, added another 3.1 percent on Tuesday, to close at $69.07.