Hands up if you’ve ever stood in the wine aisle at the supermarket and scratched your head at the dizzying array of wines on offer. Do you go for that cheeky Chardonnay, or will the Pinot Gris or maybe the Viognier be a better match with what you’re planning for dinner?

It’s a common conundrum that an enterprising Wellington wine lover intends to solve with WineHelp, a smart, interactive software system that helps people understand and choose wine.  

Vinacom Chief Executive, Alex Cumming, says his idea for an interactive electronic sommelier was born after his research showed that New Zealanders found it difficult to choose wine and would welcome the opportunity to tap into some expert advice.

“WineHelp will be deployed via touch-screen kiosks and the technology will allow users to determine which factors are important to them in a wine, such as grape variety, country and region, food matching and price.”

With three to five ‘clicks’, WineHelp will produce a short list of wines that meet search requirements. They’ll also be able to compare and contrast these wines and then locate them on the supermarket shelf.

“Soon WineHelp will also have a bar-code scanner that allows the customer to scan any wine off the shelf and see a description of the product, including details about the particular producer, tasting notes, price, awards and food and wine matches, as well as recipes that would match that particular wine.”

Alex certainly knows the industry. He’s worked at some of the world’s finest restaurants and bars, including Martin Bosley’s Yacht Club Restaurant in Wellington, Wine Banc in Sydney and The Sugar Club in London. He once spent a vintage at Louis Roederer in Reims, France – one of the most famous champagne wineries in the world, and he’s a Certified Sommelier of the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Alex was completing a one-year business diploma at CPIT in Christchurch when the concept of WineHelp first arose. He spent the rest of the year honing his idea, carrying out market research and producing a business plan. He set up premises for his startup, Vinacom, at Wellington incubator Creative HQ early in 2008.

“I knew there was a need and a market from the user’s point of view, but the user’s not going to pay. So then it was a case of ‘who is going to pay for this?’ and starting to develop a business model, trying to move it from being a good idea to a viable business.”

As well as continuing research into how wine consumers make their choices, Alex has been in discussions with owner/operators and liquor category managers at major supermarket companies Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises.

He has partnered with good people to design and deliver WineHelp: Chef Martin Bosley is supporting the concept with recipe matches, while Phil Williams, a friend and previously creative director of website, application and database development firm NV Interactive, is Head of Design and Technology.

Alex is confident there’s a huge market for his product and says as well as helping consumers to shop faster and more efficiently, it will also assist them in making more informed decisions about wine.