• Print this Article
• Go To FINE Site
• Close Window

eWine Match Service Now Sends Expert, Real-Time Wine Pairings To Your Desktop Or Cell Phone

Enter a Food Item At eWineMatch.com Or Text Message To 411511 To Get Instant Wine Suggestions

NAPA, Calif. - March 6, 2008 - FINE Design Group, a West Coast-based design and technology company, and Foster’s Wine Estates Americas, a leading Napa-based premium wine company, announced the launch of eWineMatch.com, completing the first real-time food and wine pairing service available via both the web and mobile phone channels.

With the arrival of the eWine Match website, an easy to use “virtual sommelier” system is at consumer fingertips whether at home, at a restaurant, or in the supermarket aisle. Users simply go to eWineMatch.com or text message to 411511 and enter a meal, key ingredient or type of cuisine. Within seconds, the system responds with three wine selections that span a range of varietals, regions, and prices. Customers at selected retailers will see shelf displays that instruct them how to append two digits to their text request to receive a list of wine options specific to that location.

Research shows that consumers are looking for information and counsel in the large, competitive and frequently overwhelming wine category. eWine Match answers this demand with an integrated system based on a “smart” database that recognizes the dominant reactive flavors and suggests wines that would pair well, whether the food is as elaborate as Beef Wellington or as simple as frozen pizza.

Professional Chef and Wine Educator Jerry Comfort helped develop the intelligence behind the database by relying on the progressive wine and food philosophy that groups foods and wines according to intensity of flavors and reactivity.

“Because wine pairing is not as simple as ‘whites go with fish,’ this intelligent system prioritizes the primary or predominant flavor and then the protein, says Comfort. “And the beauty of a database-driven platform is that it is constantly growing and as we get new and unusual pairing requests we will continue to expand the database,” adds Comfort.

FINE Design Group developed the web and mobile-enabled technology by creating a custom search algorithm which combines codified human wine pairing knowledge with a “fuzzy”, relevance ranked search technique.

“The goal was to improve consumer experience with wine and the relationship with Foster’s wine brands, by ensuring they get expert pairing advice wherever and whenever they need it,” says Steve Fine, Principal of FINE Design Group. “We built a technology platform and simple interface nimble enough to support the wide range of customers, wines, and situations that Foster’s serves.”

PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABLE: For images, please contact Elizabeth.hooker@am.fostersgroup.com