Crurated launch the world’s first real-world asset blockchain backed AI.
London, February 2024 | Digital fine-wine community Crurated have announced a new spatial experience for Collectors to deeper immerse themselves in the provenance of wine. The name Crurated is birthed from the “Cru” appellation for superior wine, revisiting the age-old culture with a modern lens of “Curation”.
Using the latest technology, Crurated have developed a Metaverse for passionate wine Collectors of all ages to enrich their journey. Initially launching with a virtual cellar experience this spring, owners will be able showcase their bottles, deepen their knowledge and virtually walk guests through their fine-wine collection.
The first blockchain-based fine-wine community, each bottle owned by Crurated community members is certified with an NFT. As the wine travels from vineyard to Collector, the data is recorded on the blockchain giving a full account of the bottle’s journey, but also telling the complete story in the asset-backed redeemable NFT. Today bringing this blockchain data to vibrant life in a virtual environment, Crurated are the first company to release a real-world asset blockchain backed metaverse.
“We want to nurture the passion of Collectors, support them in a way that hasn’t been done before—all our technological developments point in that direction. Our metaverse is the first step in giving Collectors an immersive, engaging experience, an alternative to a list of wines on a spreadsheet.” Alfonso de Gaetano, Founder, Crurated.
Using a VR headset owners can visit a portal on the Crurated website and gain access their private wine cellar in the metaverse. By the end of 2024, Apple users will also be able enjoy the metaverse using Vision Pro, bringing interactions that feel intuitive and magical.
When users first enter the metaverse they are greeted with a weightless experience, as they descend past cascading waterfalls onto an ethereal path. Tactile concrete walls form partitions between virtual rooms, leading to the private cellars.
Owners can invite guests to join them using multi “player” mode, enabling them to view the sommelier at work, ask questions to the Crurated AI and learn more about the bottles. When touched the bottles recall their heritage from the blockchain, revealing an NFT that expounds on the wine’s journey from vine to bottle.
As new bottles are purchased, instead of merely receiving a receipt via email, owners can now enjoy an expansive virtual unboxing experience, adding another dimension to the collector’s journey. Once unboxed, owners can even choose where to showcase their bottles, be it on display in the dedicated cellar Gallery or stored away on an “Infinite Wall”, Crurated’s virtual interpretation of a traditional wine cave.
A nod to its cross-generational appeal, the Crurated Metaverse is built on Unreal Engine 5, a 3D virtual production tool used by Epic Games in releases such as Fortnite to create hyper-realistic, engaging environments that are truly immersive.
To achieve this end, Crurated called upon Italian Architect Giovanni Francesco Frascino, a master in real world spatial design, now bringing his expertise to this new medium. Frascino opted to create something truly new rather than replicating what already exists in the real world of wine, viewing the metaverse as a “space of possible”:
“We are dealing with a new scenario endowed with its own identity that can—and should—be generated by new aesthetic codes. Codes inspired by reality but generated without the bias of physical constraints: a dimension without gravity, where space can change instantly, and time, altered. An impossible place where memories are awakened, a place to honour, govern and modify reality.”
Development has already started on the next phase of the metaverse, adding new features, expanding existing and finding new ways to embellish the enjoyment of fine-wine. Crurated’s journey from the outset was to build a community of engaged Collectors and their ambitions go further than wine, with premium spirits already available to their growing community. Be it fine-wine or spirits, Crurated will continue to innovate in accordance with their founding principles: Connect, Collect, Celebrate. The Crurated Metaverse is the first step on the next stage of that journey.
About Crurated
An innovative online retailer that is reinventing access to ne and rare products and experiences. Crurated oers insider access to the best lifestyle products and experiences the world has to oer. Oering its members insider access which brings people closer to their passions. Trust is the core pillar on which Crurated is built; from the quality and traceability of the product, directly from the supplier to the innovative blockchain technology which guarantees every purchase.
In 2023 Crurated was announced auction partner of Golden Vines® Auction, managing the bidding process through the Crurated platform and building custom software features. The company also has partnerships with Edmiston, one of the world’s most successful and respected yacht brokerage companies, and Satopia Travel, the purpose led travel experiences company.
The Crurated team has an unwavering commitment to deliver unparalleled quality and authenticity. Crurated brings more value to both the producer and the customer by eliminating the traditionally long distribution chain and because all parties can be assured of the provenance of the products. Crurated’s members are passionate consumers and collectors; a key audience Crurated’s producers want to actively connect with, as well as being made up of younger demographic who are enriching their knowledge through the content and experiences Crurated oers.
