- Story by David Wylie Photography by Darren Hull
In the mood for a wine that pairs perfectly with a date night? How about a summer party? A bath? Networking event? Relaxing with your dog?
TasteAdvisor has a few suggestions just for you.
The wine app, which is set for release this summer, helps people discover new wines by making recommendations based on personal preferences. It suggests wines, wineries, tasting routes, events and relevant deals 乌鸦传媒� all based on your taste.
It乌鸦传媒檚 comparable to Spotify, a popular service that learns the kind of music people like and recommends songs that fit the mood.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 glad I乌鸦传媒檝e had Spotify to help me find songs, but I needed something to help me find wine,乌鸦传媒� says the Alyssa Farr, who is the Okanagan-based founder of the app.
The app takes into account price-point, style, flavour, and sweetness levels, among other factors. A diverse set of characteristics define the wines that individuals like. Alyssa says she and her team have been working for over a year to find out what makes people decide what they look for in a wine.
乌鸦传媒淲e learn as you go along about what you start to like,乌鸦传媒� says Alyssa. 乌鸦传媒淵ou乌鸦传媒檒l be able to search through the database and look for genres and categories 乌鸦传媒� like best for a wedding, best for a date night, best organic, for my dog and me 乌鸦传媒� so you can try wines that really suit your profile.乌鸦传媒�
Those who adopt the app are referred to as 乌鸦传媒渢asters乌鸦传媒� rather than 乌鸦传媒渦sers.乌鸦传媒� There乌鸦传媒檚 a 乌鸦传媒渞ecommended for you乌鸦传媒� section, with wines that meet each taster乌鸦传媒檚 unique criteria, and tasters can rate wines, take notes, make curated lists (like 乌鸦传媒淏est Reds of the Okanagan乌鸦传媒�) and then share their lists with friends.
TasteAdvisor will have info on wine prices and availability, like whether a bottle is sold only at the winery, if it乌鸦传媒檚 for wine club members only, or if the item is a quick seller.
乌鸦传媒淭hose are pretty important if you are a lover of local wines,乌鸦传媒� says Alyssa.
The app helps eliminate the 50/50 chance people take when they pick up a bottle, especially when there are no tasting notes on the label. It also taps into the feedback of its tasters. Alyssa, who herself prefers full-bodied wines, says the team is working on a system to weigh wine ratings more heavily for people who prefer the style of wine they are reviewing.
TasteAdvisor has been in development for three years. During the first half of the process, Alyssa undertook exploration and research to make something that solved industry pain points while simultaneously being fun for its tasters. The second half was spent building the team, setting up the infrastructure and making countless revisions.
There乌鸦传媒檚 a core Okanagan-based team of four behind the app, including Alyssa, whose prior ventures include a construction company and a manufacturing business. The team also includes wine researcher Darcen Esau, branding and marketing expert Linsey Reimer, and marketing, culture and events pro Cheryl Molenaar. The app development team is based in Ontario.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e never done something like this,乌鸦传媒� says Alyssa. 乌鸦传媒淢y construction background really was helpful because I乌鸦传媒檓 working with the digital builders of this world instead of the physical builders. It乌鸦传媒檚 the same thing, in that you really need to know what your designs are, have a good drawing and make sure you communicate 乌鸦传媒� or you might not end up with the house you wanted.乌鸦传媒�
Originally from Belleville, Ontario, Alyssa moved to the Okanagan 13 years ago. She initially wanted to be a teacher, but decided instead to learn the skills that would allow her to build businesses.
Taking to heart a suggestion that she look at something in the wine sector, Alyssa was determined to create something scalable and rooted in tech. She dedicated over a year to trying to understand the key problems of the industry.
Most wineries are small, often with too little production for retail and not nearly enough to be sold out of province. Building a winery is capital intensive and takes a long time to get a return. It乌鸦传媒檚 highly legislated, with regulations around both food production and alcohol sales. There are also retail and hospitality elements.
乌鸦传媒淚 wanted to do something that would support them being more sustainable by helping these small businesses 乌鸦传媒� who are running four different types of businesses in one 乌鸦传媒� so that the rest of us can just wander down the road and find things that we love,乌鸦传媒� says Alyssa.
乌鸦传媒淚 really want to support the entrepreneurial spirit.乌鸦传媒�
While the app helps tasters find the right wine for their unique palates, it also helps local wineries connect with customers. Alyssa says that乌鸦传媒檚 a win-win and notes that there is nothing else like this on the market.
Currently, Vivino is the most popular wine app available.
乌鸦传媒淚t focuses more on the 100-point system, which is based on the palate of a handful of people,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淥ur tagline is 乌鸦传媒楾aste What You Like乌鸦传媒� because we think wine is what you like it to be. It乌鸦传媒檚 not about snobbery and it乌鸦传媒檚 not about one person乌鸦传媒檚 perspective.乌鸦传媒�
On the verge of the app乌鸦传媒檚 official launch, Alyssa has been doing walk-throughs of it to get feedback. Prior to its official release, 2,000 people are already interested in downloading it.
The industry launch has given wineries, tour companies and retailers a chance to submit their profiles, tour routes and other info for inclusion on the web and mobile platform.
乌鸦传媒淥ur goal is to support wine-growing regions across Canada and eventually in other countries,乌鸦传媒� Alyssa says.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 hoping that people will use the app regularly when they go tasting; they乌鸦传媒檒l use it when they乌鸦传媒檙e at a dinner party 乌鸦传媒� they can tap it, rate it and say, 乌鸦传媒業 love this, I really want to get it again,乌鸦传媒� and put it in their cellar.
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