LIWSF PREVIEW: Technology

Last year Stormhoek’s wine fair blog was displayed on screens around the exhibition and added a technological angle that is often neglected by the trade. This year’s hi-tech innovation will undoubtedly be the presence of TastingBuddy, the wine-tasting software that distributes wine lists prior to events, allowing visitors to add tasting notes on devices such as PDAs and mobile phones.

A partnership established with Wines of Australia at the recent Australia Day tastings will continue at this year’s wine fair. “They’re usually forward thinking,” says co-founder of TastingBuddy, Paul Fitzpatrick. “We lucked out in our partner.”

Those already signed up to TastingBuddy are encouraged to download the LIWSF lists in advance, but there will be a space on the Wines of Australia stand for visitors to download a list to their mobile device. Fitzpatrick will also be able to help those who have yet to make the electronic leap by loaning out a limited number of handsets.

In addition to the Australian partnership, the Top 100 Rosé Tasting will also be catalogued on TastingBuddy. Fiztpatrick explains that the show’s organisers “are naturally interested in the use of technology for their visitors, to get rid of the paper that easily accumulates on trips like that”.

There are plans to make the wine fair blog have a bigger impact this year. As Stormhoek’s Nick Dymoke-Marr explains: “We’ve taken what we started last year, and we’ll be making it much bigger and better than before.” He believes that developing the concept is vital, so expect new aspects like video podcasts. As Murray confirms: “There are big plans afoot: watch this space.”