Wouldn’t it be cool to have access to 1000s of awesome wines from around the world and use taste profiling technology to give you recommendations based on your specific tastes?
You could buy any wine from almost any winery in the world, and, even more, you would have a tool that would guide you to the wines that are most suitable to your tastes. This is pretty exciting for me because I’m a novice drinker, but I love the world of wine and how it enhances my lifestyle. I want to be able to buy wines from regions all over the world, but I need some guidance as well. Ruarri and I have dived into making this a reality and have found two key challenges.
The Long Tail
The first challenge is how to give you direct access to the “Long Tail†of wines, which are those 1000s of quality wines that never get mass distribution.
This has become possible because the game is changing in the wine industry and the distribution bottlenecks are loosening. With web-based technological advancements and 3-Tier breakdown, wineries now have new avenues to market and sell their wines direct-to-consumer and direct-to-trade. We will no longer be restricted to the retailer’s shelves or the distributor’s whim.
Inertia Beverage Group , located in Napa Valley, is currently implementing exciting technology that will make the direct sales channel more cost efficient and product expansive. As a consumer, retailer, wine shop, or restaurant, you will now be able to connect with wineries around the world, choose from 1000s of products, and buy them in a web-based virtual environment. Furthermore, Inertia’s innovative system handles all logistical and compliance matters to make sure your order gets to you efficiently and consistently.
Wine 3.0
The second challenge is how to give the consumer audience the technology they need to help them filter though this huge offering and choose a wine that they will like.
I believe there is a certain magic about wine that brings us together as a people, and it makes us feel good about sharing stories and experiences with one another. Given this communal nature, why not start a Web 2.0 online community, like Ruarri mentioned, that allows wine lovers, bloggers, and experts to come together and share their passion for wine. Create profiles and share your tastes for wine, food, and lifestyle and make a personalized recommendation list.
Then, when there is enough excitement, we can organize all this great content into a Web 3.0 “Taste Find†technology that allows the wine novices and newbies to get info and recommendations based on their preferences, without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated.
Then, why not buy a bottle and share it with your family and friends.
What an exciting time to be a part of this industry. I don’t know if it’s just the side effects of the holiday season, but I absolutely love how we are using wine to help us come together!
