Tesco Wine App On iPhone Makes Everybody A Wine Buff

Released on: December 21, 2009, 12:15 pm
Author: Tesco
Industry: Retail

Tesco Wine has launched a new iPhone app especially for anyone who has ever wished they could pick the perfect wine, tasted a classy claret at a party and wondered where they could buy it, or wanted to impress their friends with connoisseur-like credentials.

Now everybody can be a wine buff with Tesco.com's new Wine app - developed by Cortexica Vision Systems which was founded by experts from Imperial College using pioneering visual imaging that mimics the way the human brain identifies images.

"All you need to do is take a picture of any wine bottle label from your iPhone and if it is one of the 1,000 that Tesco Wine by the Case stocks you'll see all the tasting notes and information about that wine, including the guide price," explained Laura Wade-Gery, Tesco.com CEO.

"We hope this will democratise and demystify wine know-how by making information much more accessible. But we're advising using the app cautiously if you're at a dinner party - exercise good manners and discretion at all times. Tesco Wine by the case sells some wonderful, award-winning wines that are great value, so you wouldn't want to embarrass your hosts by announcing the price tag."

The app can suggest the ideal wine, depending on budget, menu or preferred country of origin - user just tap the button or shake the phone and wait for their result, all to the glug-glug sound of wine being gently poured from a bottle and the resulting pop of the cork.

The Wine app will direct the user through to Tesco Wine by the case so that customers can buy their selection direct from their mobile phone - perfect for stocking up for seasonal entertaining.

Steve Semenzato, CEO of Cortexica, said: "This brilliant app is built upon a Vision System that is the result of six years' research. It is unique because it does not match an image directly to another image but looks for key features to match against, just like the human brain does. It won't matter if you can't quite get the perfect picture - not easy to do on a curvy bottle - it should still recognise a label."

For customers without iPhones, the Tesco Wine Club has lots of information about the best wines to grace Christmas tables this season, specially selected by Gerard Bassett, the only person in the world to hold the combined qualifications of Master Sommelier, Master of Wine and a Wine MBA.

Gerard's selections in full - made with Tesco's own Master of Wine, Pierpaolo Petrassi - are available from the Tesco website and in the latest edition of the WineClub magazine.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

About Tesco:
Tesco plc, a UK-based international grocery and merchandising retailer, is Britain's largest supplier and the world's third largest grocery retailer, by both global sales and domestic market share. Founded as a food specialist in 1929, Tesco has now expanded into diverse areas such as flowers, books, music, clothes, gifts, telecoms and even baby buggies. The company employs over 250,000 people, operates 1,779 stores across Europe and Asia and serves over 15 million customers.

For further information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01992 646 462 or 01992 644346. Out of hours the duty press officer can be contacted by calling 01992 644733 and selecting option 2 from the voicemail menu.

Contact Details: Hayley Simpson
Tesco Corporate & Legal Affairs
New Tesco House
Delamare Road
Cheshunt
Herts
EN8 9SL
01992 644645
www.tesco.com/winestore