I saw your article on Microsoft Tag in the Business Journal and thought you might be interested in our product, WineInfoTag. We are currently working with a number of wineries to integrate Microsoft Tag technology. Our approach is a little different from that of Bouchaine and Dry Creek. We don’t believe a consumer standing in a retail aisle or sitting in a restaurant perusing the wine list will want to sit through a video of the winemaker talk about the vintage. We believe we will only have 30-45 seconds to present the important information needed to make an immediate purchase decision (thus the term “Quick Response” code).

Consequently, our WineInfoTag shows Tasting Notes, Food Pairings, and Reviews in a form factor designed for a smartphone screen. There is also a “click-through” to the wineries website if the consumer wants to drill down further.

For further information, a press release is at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/WineInfoTag/ImMedia/prweb4983054.htm. There is a sample WineInfoTag that you can scan to see an example.

I loved your article on how wineries are using tech these days, it is definitely an exciting time in the industry and there are a number of emerging ways that wineries are connecting to consumers. I encourage you to take a look at our Mobile application http://www.hellovino.com which is a mobile based recommendation engine for all mobile platforms. Basically, it suggests an appropriate wine to consumers for nearly any meal or occasion, helping them to pick a wine while standing in the wine aisle of their grocery store where they are generally overwhelmed by the “wall of wine” in front of them.

The app has been downloaded by over 420,000 people and we are currently offering nearly a million recommendations a month to consumers nationally. In addition, forward thinking wineries are finding us to be a more relevant and effective point of sale avenue to both help consumers find their wines when appropriate, and establish relationships with them through the integrated social media functions in the application. Thus far, Hahn Estates, Rodney Strong, and Banfi have all begun working with us.

In addition, our next release (2.0), due out any moment, includes the ability for consumers to simply snap a picture of the wine label and immediately access information on the wine, food and wine pairings etc, moving beyond the need for QR codes. I’d be happy to speak with you about all of the apps functionality and how it is all working at any time. email or call me at your convenience.

I think other wineries could take advantage or partner with fellow wineries with some of these technologies.