A new local app has hit the scene, and it should help people who enjoy a glass of wine with dinner get a better experience at restaurants.
WineView has built an augmented reality app that gives users an easier experience shopping for and selecting wine in restaurants. It is now available on all app-purchasing platforms after a beta testing period.
The company, which selected Birmingham as its headquarters in April, has been steadily growing in the Magic City throughout 2021 by securing seed funding, making hires and securing restaurants to beta test the product.
Gary Campbell, founder of WineView, said the company has been beta testing in the local area for the past month and a half. The company has 162 beta testers who provided a wealth of information for the company.
“We were able to have intimate conversations – go up to a lot of the local restaurants here like Helen, The Essential, Blueprint, Bettola, Bottega, all the staples – and we've just been listening to our users very closely to see exactly what they want out of the app,” Campbell said. “After continuous improvements and updates, what you see now as is what we feel like our users are looking for ... It's going to be initially ... restaurant focused because that's where we found the core problem, especially for the new wine drinkers like 25- to 40-year-olds.”
Campbell found it can be daunting for customers to order wine at restaurants with extensive wine lists. The app can pair the appropriate wine with a menu item in around 30 seconds. So far, 50 restaurants are on board for integrating the app, including Chez Fonfon, Trattoria ZaZa, Bottega, Bamboo on Second, The Lumbar. EastWest, and more.
The beta test also revealed that there was a lot of pressure and anxiety for people when it comes to pronouncing wine. Campbell said WineView is on the right track for helping people with that.
He said it's a prime time to launch the product because around 40% of all wine sold is purchased between now and Christmas.
“There are going to be a lot of new wine drinkers out there, whether they're going out with family to restaurants or buying (a bottle) for the first time,” he said. “So, really, our core strategy for the next three months to the end of the year is going to be user acquisition.”
Other plans include a seed round in the first quarter of next year, and the company is also looking to enter new markets in the Southeast, including Atlanta, Austin and Nashville. While Birmingham will be a focus for WineView, the company plans to be in other Southeastern cities and eventually larger cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago by the middle of next year, Campbell said. The company will also look to onboard another six people after its first quarter seed round.
“I don't think any of us on the team realized just how big and intimidating the world of wine was. We knew it was a problem, but now that we've been in the trenches and really talking to users, I'm even more excited than I was to get this out there because we realize just how big of a need there is,” he said. “Our... phrase is 'choosing wine for all mankind,' so no matter who you are, where you are, wine should be accessible and something to be enjoyed, not something to be anxious about when you go out to restaurants.”
The company is based out of the BISO Collective offices in downtown and has increased its headcount to 13 people.
