Web over virus: Taiwan sommelier takes wine tasting online
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2-3 minutesA
young Taiwanese sommelier is taking his wine tasting classes online to
keep his business afloat, as social distancing rules to contain the
spread of the new coronavirus prevents large gatherings.
Peter
Petrus, 37, a Taiwanese sommelier, conducts an online wine tasting
class from his studio, during the global outbreak of the coronavirus
disease (COVID-19), in Taipei, Taiwan, April 24, 2020. . REUTERS/Ann
Wang
Live streaming from his
studio in Taipei, Peter Petrus, the professional name he uses for his
business, teaches the art of wine-tasting online to people across the
island.
The containment measures have had a big impact on business, Petrus told Reuters.
“So
I started contemplating if there might be a way to work around this
situation - at the end of the day the company has to keep going.”
While
Taiwan has been relatively successful so far in curbing the spread of
the virus, with 428 cases and six deaths, the government has been
promoting social distancing and discouraging large gatherings to keep
the pandemic under control.
Online tasting has a few constraints -
mainly around packing, maintaining the right temperature and sending
the bottles on time to customers.
“The problem with wine is that
it starts oxidation once you open the bottle,” said Petrus, who
meticulously pours a selection of wine into smaller bottles and labels
each before couriering.
Students who receive the wine samples join Petrus online to sip together as they flip through the course material.
Petrus,
who films and livestreams via his smartphone, keeps his students
engaged while he explains the finer points of each wine.
Candice
Yang, a 32-year-old maths teacher, who joined one of his online courses
this week, described the experience as ‘quite special.’
“It feels just the same (as being there) with a bit of additional warmth and chill-out, because it’s so cozy at home.”
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