New technology gives consumer instant information about their wine of choice.
Quick response codes transporting wine drinkers from bottle to vineyard in the click of a mobile camera; iPhone apps that provide instant access to independent wine opinion; and even a sommelier robot that can tell whether a wine's great or gross, new technology is starting to change the way we interact with wine.
Over the last month several New Zealand wineries have announced that they will now be featuring QR Codes on wines destined for our local market. A number already employ these two-dimensional barcodes in Japan, where they're already a common sight on a range of consumer goods after initially being used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing.
Wine drinkers in possession of a 3G mobile can use their phone camera like a scanner to read the QR codes, which are often linked to websites. In the case of Drumsara, this accesses tasting notes for the particular wine and vintage, a grape locator map identifying the exact location where grapes for it were grown, as well as the vineyard information for that wine and vintage.
"It's quite revolutionary really, and what it means is that wine buffs can be in a retail store, read our codes and immediately source all the information they want before deciding to buy," comments Drumsara marketing manager, Wayne Matheson. "Similarly in a restaurant people drinking our wine can download the tasting notes and enhance their dining experience."
"This breaks new ground in wine marketing," says Sue White, managing director of Whitehaven, which has also embraced the technology, "but we think it's the way to go because it gives the customer on-the-spot access to information about Whitehaven's wine, using the sort of technology which is already very familiar to the next generation of wine drinkers.
"Our wine label is no longer a two dimensional message stuck on a bottle - the label is now part of the web and I don't see it coming back to the way it used to be," she states.
While Whitehaven and Drumsara direct people to their websites via QR codes, some foreign wineries connect to a page dedicated to their wine at Adegga.com, an online wine community that allows drinkers to read other people's reviews of the wine they've just zapped, check its prices and stockists and access information from the winery.
There are also apps that can be used on iPhones and other mobiles that can bring up both expert opinion and amateur wine reviews to assist drinkers in making their purchases.
While many are more geared to the United States or Britain, Corkscore has designed one with a database focused on New Zealand and Australian wines, which can even save GPS data to pinpoint where you were when you consumed a specific bottle.
New technology is also allowing bottles to provide proof of their wine's origin, through the likes of DNA signatures embedded in labels and unique codes encased in special seals. While the rarity of counterfeiting of New Zealand wines means that such measures are seldom embraced here, Pasquale, and its sister Kurow Village brand, are using the New Zealand-developed Oritain process to offer drinkers proof of the connection between the product and place through establishing a molecular signature expressed on the bottle by a unique number for every wine.
"Using the numbering on the bottle, the wine buyer will be able to Google search right through to the Waitaki or Hakataramea Valleys where the grapes are grown and even view the vineyard," explains Kurow winery general manager, Murray Turner.
So what of the wine tasting robot? This Japanese invention uses infrared spectroscopic technology to identity different foods and wines and advises its users on whether it will be to their taste. However, its cute prototype could only recognise a few wines and when faced with a reporter's hand, identified it as proscuitto.
It's reassuring for me as a wine writer at least, that in the area of tasting itself, technology still has some catching up to do with us humans.
ADVANCED LABELS
RACING AHEAD RED
Drumsara Ventifacts Block Pinot Noir Central Otago 2008 $38-$44
Redolent of spice and green peppercorns, Drumsara's pinot is fresh and aromatic with light, soft, ripe and succulent black cherry fruit. (From Fine Wine Delivery Company, La Barrique, Blend, Glengarry.)
SAVVY SAV
Whitehaven Greg Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $24.95
A powerful but elegant sauvignon from the promising 2010 vintage, which combines notes of blackcurrant leaf, mandarin, juicy citrus, and holy basil. (From Caro's, Kohi Corner bottle Shop, Hauraki Corner Cellar, Mairangi Bay Fine Wines, Blend, Primo Vino.)
INVITING NELSON
Woollaston Nelson Riesling 2009 $18.95
Incense-like spice and lingering notes of blossom are woven around this dry tasting riesling's tight core of lemon and mineral. Zesty, intense and great value. (From La Barrique.)
