- Story by David Wylie Photography by Darren Hull

In the mood for a wine that pairs perfectly with a date night? How about a summer party? A bath? Networking event? Relaxing with your dog?

TasteAdvisor has a few suggestions just for you.

The wine app, which is set for release this summer, helps people discover new wines by making recommendations based on personal preferences. It suggests wines, wineries, tasting routes, events and relevant deals 鈥� all based on your taste.

It鈥檚 comparable to Spotify, a popular service that learns the kind of music people like and recommends songs that fit the mood.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad I鈥檝e had Spotify to help me find songs, but I needed something to help me find wine,鈥� says the Alyssa Farr, who is the Okanagan-based founder of the app.

The app takes into account price-point, style, flavour, and sweetness levels, among other factors. A diverse set of characteristics define the wines that individuals like. Alyssa says she and her team have been working for over a year to find out what makes people decide what they look for in a wine.

鈥淲e learn as you go along about what you start to like,鈥� says Alyssa. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l be able to search through the database and look for genres and categories 鈥� like best for a wedding, best for a date night, best organic, for my dog and me 鈥� so you can try wines that really suit your profile.鈥�

Those who adopt the app are referred to as 鈥渢asters鈥� rather than 鈥渦sers.鈥� There鈥檚 a 鈥渞ecommended for you鈥� section, with wines that meet each taster鈥檚 unique criteria, and tasters can rate wines, take notes, make curated lists (like 鈥淏est Reds of the Okanagan鈥�) and then share their lists with friends.

TasteAdvisor will have info on wine prices and availability, like whether a bottle is sold only at the winery, if it鈥檚 for wine club members only, or if the item is a quick seller.

鈥淭hose are pretty important if you are a lover of local wines,鈥� says Alyssa.

The app helps eliminate the 50/50 chance people take when they pick up a bottle, especially when there are no tasting notes on the label. It also taps into the feedback of its tasters. Alyssa, who herself prefers full-bodied wines, says the team is working on a system to weigh wine ratings more heavily for people who prefer the style of wine they are reviewing.

TasteAdvisor has been in development for three years. During the first half of the process, Alyssa undertook exploration and research to make something that solved industry pain points while simultaneously being fun for its tasters. The second half was spent building the team, setting up the infrastructure and making countless revisions.

There鈥檚 a core Okanagan-based team of four behind the app, including Alyssa, whose prior ventures include a construction company and a manufacturing business. The team also includes wine researcher Darcen Esau, branding and marketing expert Linsey Reimer, and marketing, culture and events pro Cheryl Molenaar. The app development team is based in Ontario.

鈥淚鈥檝e never done something like this,鈥� says Alyssa. 鈥淢y construction background really was helpful because I鈥檓 working with the digital builders of this world instead of the physical builders. It鈥檚 the same thing, in that you really need to know what your designs are, have a good drawing and make sure you communicate 鈥� or you might not end up with the house you wanted.鈥�

Originally from Belleville, Ontario, Alyssa moved to the Okanagan 13 years ago. She initially wanted to be a teacher, but decided instead to learn the skills that would allow her to build businesses.

Taking to heart a suggestion that she look at something in the wine sector, Alyssa was determined to create something scalable and rooted in tech. She dedicated over a year to trying to understand the key problems of the industry.

Most wineries are small, often with too little production for retail and not nearly enough to be sold out of province. Building a winery is capital intensive and takes a long time to get a return. It鈥檚 highly legislated, with regulations around both food production and alcohol sales. There are also retail and hospitality elements.

鈥淚 wanted to do something that would support them being more sustainable by helping these small businesses 鈥� who are running four different types of businesses in one 鈥� so that the rest of us can just wander down the road and find things that we love,鈥� says Alyssa.

鈥淚 really want to support the entrepreneurial spirit.鈥�

While the app helps tasters find the right wine for their unique palates, it also helps local wineries connect with customers. Alyssa says that鈥檚 a win-win and notes that there is nothing else like this on the market.

Currently, Vivino is the most popular wine app available.

鈥淚t focuses more on the 100-point system, which is based on the palate of a handful of people,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur tagline is 鈥楾aste What You Like鈥� because we think wine is what you like it to be. It鈥檚 not about snobbery and it鈥檚 not about one person鈥檚 perspective.鈥�

On the verge of the app鈥檚 official launch, Alyssa has been doing walk-throughs of it to get feedback. Prior to its official release, 2,000 people are already interested in downloading it.

The industry launch has given wineries, tour companies and retailers a chance to submit their profiles, tour routes and other info for inclusion on the web and mobile platform.

鈥淥ur goal is to support wine-growing regions across Canada and eventually in other countries,鈥� Alyssa says.

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that people will use the app regularly when they go tasting; they鈥檒l use it when they鈥檙e at a dinner party 鈥� they can tap it, rate it and say, 鈥業 love this, I really want to get it again,鈥� and put it in their cellar.

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