Picture this: a classic deck of cards with a delicious twist that will have wine lovers and professionals raising their glasses in anticipation. Meet the Wine Me cards, the latest sensation pouring a modern twist into wine education and entertainment.

Wine, Cards, and Victoria: A Fresh Pour on Learning

Meet the Wine Me cards: where wine education meets playful innovation. Crafted by Victoria, the founder passionate about blending wine knowledge with fun, this deck reimagines the classic card suits to represent the spectrum of wines—from bold reds to delicate rosés. Beyond the colors, the ranks dive into the intensity and fame of wine varieties while Jokers play up the wine world's key roles.

A bilingual booklet decoding 24 grape types and wines linked to each card is included. In our chat with Victoria, she uncorks the story behind this venture, offering a glimpse into her entrepreneurial journey and how Wine Me is reshaping wine discovery.

Can you share your background and what led you to combine your passion for wine with gaming?

Regarding my highest education, I hold a master's degree in civil engineering and have worked in this field for a long time.

When I decided to follow my heart, I began studying wine as something noble and cultural! Initially, I obtained a sommelier diploma purely for personal enrichment, not to pursue a career in this field.

However, my passion for wine as a cultural pursuit continued to grow. Then, my engineering mindset came into play; I've always enjoyed inventing things, and one day, the idea struck me: to create something engaging, entertaining, and useful for wine enthusiasts.

What is a Wine Card? What inspired you to create the Wine Me cards?

I believe that simplicity is genius! When the idea of wine playing cards came to me, I thought it was obvious. However, it turned out that such playing cards did not exist on the market, making my idea truly unique!

What are Wine Me Cards? They are like standard playing cards but with a wine educational theoretical aspect. You know the standard card suits - hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs. I replaced them with 4 types of wine - red wine, white wine, rosé wine, and sparkling wine. For red and white wine, the rank indicators of the cards are black and white grape varieties, and for rosé and sparkling wine, they are terroir wines.

Depending on the rank, I arranged the grape varieties and wines in ascending order of intensity, aroma, body, and popularity. You can play any well-known card game with them and enhance your knowledge about grape varieties and terroir wines.

For example, 2 Red Wine - Gamay - wines from this grape are very light, fruity wines with soft tannins. 10 Red Wine - Syrah - wines from this grape are dense and vibrant, with powerful tannins and complex aromatics. Jack, Queen, and King are the trio of the most significant and popular grape varieties for red wine production.

How did you choose which wines to feature in the game?

I wanted to create a clear and useful product. I wanted to gather the most iconic, popular, and well-known grape varieties and wines - something that would interest novice and experienced wine lovers.

When creating the cards, I was guided by standard information about grape varieties and wines. Sometimes, arranging them in the "right" order was very challenging because, if you're a wine expert, you understand that the same grape variety can express itself differently!

The same grape variety can sometimes produce light or intense wines depending on the terroir and production methods. But in the end, I am very satisfied with my product! If someone gave me such cards, I would be as happy as a wine lover!

What do you hope people learn from playing with Wine Me cards?

First and foremost, they will definitely expand their wine knowledge! With 25 different grape varieties and 25 different wines, you will surely find something interesting and useful for yourself! For a wine expert, it is very important to understand the styles of wines from different grape varieties, and with the Wine Me playing cards, it is very easy to remember which varieties and wines are lighter and which are richer and more intense.

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The cards come with a booklet that describes all grape varieties and all wines featured in the cards - it's like a real informative mini-book!

Secondly, the main idea of the playing cards remains that THEY CAN BE PLAYED! Everyone loves playing BELOTE, BLACKJACK, PIQUET, BRIDGE, POKER, etc! You can easily play these games with your friends without delving into the wine aspect.

What kind of feedback have you received so far, and has it influenced any updates to the game?

Without false modesty, I must say that everyone is thrilled with these cards! They are so charming! Plus, I paid great attention to the quality of the product! Both the cards themselves and the box are of very high quality!

Moreover, I have already presented this product to the Sommelier Associations of France and Monaco, and they unanimously approved my Wine Me project! For the next batch of products, I hope to obtain the agreement of the Sommelier Association to place their logo on the packaging as a symbol of quality.

Could you share a high and a low from your journey creating Wine Me cards?

Plus, it was a huge pleasure for me to create something that isn't available on the market yet. If I can call it a minus, I was very concerned about protecting my copyrights! At the moment, I've done everything I could to protect my creative work with the help of lawyers. But I might have to deal with plagiarism... However, if you're being imitated, it means you've truly created something cool.

Do you have plans to expand or create new editions?

Definitely! Currently, I have two types of cards in my product line! 1) The French version - bridge size. Here you'll find only French grape varieties and French wines. 2) The International version - poker size, 100% plastic - featuring grape varieties and wines worldwide.

In the future, I'm full of ideas! I'd like to create versions for other countries and different wine-producing regions! I'd also like to collaborate with glassware manufacturers (in my cards, the suit is represented as glasses!).

By the way, one of the iconic producers in the Bellet region, Provence, has already placed an order with me for personalized cards for their Chateau.

What advice would you give someone looking to turn their passion into a project?

First and foremost, never listen to those who don't believe in you and your project! If you've come up with something, never give up and keep moving forward! Love what you do, and everything will work out! It may sound cliché, but it's really true! Along my journey, many people considered my project a waste of time, but now my project has been presented at the International Sommelier Assembly and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback!

And for me, this is a real success!

SOMM DIGI Exclusive: Victoria Deals a New Hand in Wine Learning with 'Wine Me' Cards"