An app for the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, designed by Vancouver’s Xomo Digital Inc., is designed to fuel wine sales for the festival’s 180 participating wineries.
Those who download the free app from iTunes will be able to view each of the roughly 780 wines that will be poured at the festival, provide star ratings for the wines and write notes.
Last year Xomo produced an information-only app for the festival.
About 25,000 people are expected to attend events at the 34th annual festival, which starts tonight, runs until March 4 and is a fundraiser for the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Co.
Taking part in the festival can be an expensive undertaking for wineries, which come from as far away as South Africa and must bring a principal in addition to many cases of wine to pour for free.
Chile is the theme country this year so there will be more Chilean wineries, 35, than any other country.
Those wineries aim to recoup travel costs and other expenses by selling as much wine as possible at a temporary liquor store next to the large tasting room at the Vancouver Convention Centre that the festival will use for its main tastings March 1, 2 and 3.
Many of the wines available at that store are not otherwise eligible to be sold in B.C.
“The app will help people remember what wines they liked,” said Matt Pinch, who is the marketing manager for the festival. “They will be able to go to the on-site liquor store and find those wines. That’s really our No. 1 goal for his app.
“Last year, I didn’t feel that our app was a strong enough business tool.”
