One thing that I am never short of is press releases landing in my e-mail box.
Before I knew what the 'EXCITING NEWS FROM GREG GAUTHIER' missive was about, I noticed the name Liz Smith as the sender and wondered why I was receiving something from the gossip columnist.
CAPITAL letters and Liz Smith made the message look suspicious as in Spam.
Like many others writing about wine, I had received a press release from Bouchaine Vineyards yesterday annoucing their adoption of Digital Info Tags for most of their wines starting in February 2011.
These Tags have been present in a number of countries including Japan but still have to become mainstream in the US.
It might make sense in a wine store yet getting your smartphone out of its holster to snap images of digital tags while having dinner at a restaurant might not be listed as good table manners.
The tags offered by Bouchaine will not be on bottles until Vintage 2010.
Here's how program will work for now:
"In February 2011, Bouchaine will begin offering to wine retailers and restaurants shelf talkers, bottle-neckers and wine list stickers printed with digital “Tags” for point-of-sale display. Consumers who download the Microsoft TagReader application to their smartphone devices will then be able to scan these tags using their cameras, immediately linking to useful information about the wine, the Winery, the varietal, and recommended food pairings. From that point, it takes a few simple finger taps for the consumer to share the information with his or her social network. The TagReader is free from Microsoft and runs on most smartphones including Apple iPhone/iPod, Google Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, and Windows Mobile."
Besides serving its tech savvy fans, Bouchaine explains the move as part of its overall eco-friendly efforts since it should reduce the need for printed materials.
Not sure if snapping the image that they sent (above) serves any facts if you take a picture of your screen while reading this story.
Are Digital Info Tags for wine a plus?