By Amy Looker
Fine Wine Partners has bridged the gap between the consumer and the cellar door with the launch of a Cellar Key, an online digital resource that can be accessed via smartphone.
The technology behind Cellar Key is found in a QR barcode, which contains richer information than traditional barcodes, including web addresses and content.
By scanning a Cellar Key QR barcode necktag with a smartphone, consumers are able to access a wealth of online information on a particular wine in the Fine Wine Partners portfolio.
“Until now a wine’s label was the only clue to its content, and given the complexity of viticulture plus some of the rich and engaging stories from Australia and New Zealand’s leading wineries, we spotted an enormous opportunity to harness technology to bridge this knowledge gap and better inform Australian wine lovers,” said Aaron Brasher, head of fine wine and education at Lion Nathan Wines.
“We know premium wine consumers desire to know more about the wine that’s in the bottle. QR reading technology is the perfect conduit to aiding consumer education, particularly when a wine buyer can be faced with hundreds of wines within a bottle shop, and only has a smartphone as a source of information.
"We’re very excited to be at the forefront of innovation within the wine industry, and to be using technology to genuinely add value to our existing and potential consumers.”
Wines brands from the Fine Wine Partners portfolio, including the Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, Petaluma Riesling, St Hallet Faith Shiraz and Villa Maria Pinot Gris, will be among the first to feature the QR barcodes.
Cellar Key necktags with QR barcodes will start to appear in bottle shops, catalogues, and on restaurant wine lists from next month (April).