There's a 15-Page Petition for a White Wine Emoji
Gone are the days when human emojis came in a single color: Instead, users now have a selection of skin tones. But when it comes to a glass of wine, the Unicode Consortium—the international overlords of official emojis—only offers up one option: the “wine glass” emoji…and by default, pretty much every major platform chooses to color the wine inside that glass red. Kendall-Jackson thinks this is unfair to white wine lovers, and the California-based winery is doing something about it: They are petitioning for a specific white wine emoji.
More than just a marketing stunt (though, of course, getting a bit of press doesn’t hurt), earlier this year, Kendall-Jackson Winery submitted a surprisingly detailed 15-page proposal to Unicode that includes loads of charts and visual aids, as well as important tidbits like pointing out that Chardonnay, a white wine, is actually the most popular wine varietal in the world and referencing the Lady Gaga song “Grigio Girls.” They even cite a complaint Food & Wine made last year about the lack of a white wine emoji. (Thanks for reading, Kendall-Jackson.)
“The existing wine glass emoji, depicted as a glass of red wine, does not properly represent one of the most popular and widely consumed adult beverages—white wine,” the proposal begins. Later, things get even more philosophical about the need for a true white wine emoji. “We live in an era where the rise of post-truth has left people demanding clear communication and the desire to represent their identity,” Kendall-Jackson implores. “[White Wine] should be properly illustrated in our modern, international language of emoji.”
But the proposal appears to just be the tip of the iceberg. Kendall-Jackson has also set up a website, WhiteWineEmoji.net, which promotes a forthcoming #whitewineemoji hashtag campaign. “What's missing isn't the world's passion for white wine. It's simply the world's symbol for white wine,” the site states. “Kendall-Jackson Winery, together with the global wine community, invite you to join us as we rally support for the world's first white wine emoji. This won't change the world, but it will free you from using the Red Wine Emoji when what you really want is your favorite glass of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio. The best things in life go beyond words.”
For now, however, the site simply ends by saying, “Check back on August 2nd, 2018 for more information.” Hopefully Kendall-Jackson won’t mind if we lend them our support a bit early.
