New technologies reach the wine sector

Vinipad and Virtual Sommelier are two of the new wine apps available online designed to make consumer experience that much easier

06/07/2012

Consumers now have Spanish wine apps to help them better understand the secrets of the world of wine

Recently there has been an explosion of online apps created by wineries, sommeliers, restaurants, etc. with the aim of helping consumers to better understand wine and everything that surrounds it and thus make their wine buying experience that much easier; Vinipad and Virtual Sommelier are two of them. The former, specially designed for restaurants and hotels and available for iPad, Android tablet and BlackBerry Playbook, provides comprehensive restaurant cellar wine lists as a complement to traditional wine lists. The latter, available for iPhone, provides advice from a well-known sommelier on how to select the perfect wine to match every dining occasion.

By using Vinipad, consumers will be able to find wines from anywhere in the world on the lists belonging to each individual restaurant via an interactive map, as well as being able to narrow their search by type of wine, appellation, vintage, grape, price, food matching and other criteria. Together with the technical notes, users will be able to access information about the history of the winery in question, the tasting notes, how the wine was made and, where applicable, aged. All with the very best in quality images which represents a new visual and sensory experience to enhance the enjoyment of selecting wine.

The app, created by two young Spanish entrepreneurs, has caused a revolution in the Spanish hospitality sector; fine restaurants in Spain and Portugal who take great pains in stocking their cellars are now making use of it. In addition, it can be adapted to local needs, apt for different types of water, beers, liqueurs and spirits, becoming an essential element that can be personalised to identify with the essence of each individual restaurant.

Along the same lines, Virtual Sommelier, another free app for mobile developed in Spain, aims to help consumers to delve deeper in the realms of the world of wine in a much easier way. Under the wing of sommelier, Raúl González – winner of the Azpilicueta Sommelier Award 2008 –, those who download the app will be able to access the information needed to help them to choose a wine to match perfectly with every meal.

As well as boasting a geolocator tagging more than 6,000 recommended food establishments around Spain, Virtual Sommelier provides detailed information about wines, appellations, regions, vintages, awards, tasting notes, etc. Thanks to its high level of interactivity, users can create their own online cellar, a space where they can store and share their own recommendations.