SEE: A Taste of Israel
The former CEO of big data pioneer Splunk had ventured into wine as a hobby, and this eventually paved the way for Vivant. Baum, incidentally, is also the owner of Chateau de Pommard, the French winery and estate which was established in 1726 — making him the first American to own such an estate in Burgundy. Baum made his billions from the US$5 billion ($6.6 billion) IPO of Splunk. It is no surprise then, that he has taken a rather technologically-minded approach to wine. One could say he is taking his Silicon Valley-savvy into the business of wine. On the Vivant.eco platform, its expert wine advisors educate and guide consumers with winemakers, but with one significant difference: they focus on winemakers who are dedicated to making sustainable wines for consumers to enjoy without damaging the environment. Vivant launches with three French wine regions: Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire. New experiences from Champagne are also available, and experiences from Alsace will be released in January 2021. During the Live Experiences, members who have also purchased the Experience Kits separately (which are not compulsory for participation) will be guided through the Interactive Tasting Method, which will give them an insight on how to taste and appreciate wine like a professional. The Experience Kit consists of either six 10cl vials of wine or three full bottles of wine.