#easyvino

Dear Friends,

You might be wondering about our silence since the release of the "Alpheta" in March. Since the release, I have been through some health issues (I'm fine now!) that forced me take a bit of a  "vacation." The bright side of being stuck in bed for 2 months is that I had plenty of time to think about Easy Vino, which reinforced my belief that we are tackling a real need with tremendous potential. 

During my brief hiatus, the team continued to make progress and managed to put the app at the doorsteps of the App Store. We are currently fixing some bugs and plan to launch a closed beta in a matter of weeks. In this version, the app will provide a quick recommendation for what wines to drink at each of the 100+ restaurants we will cover. The closed beta will be crucial to determine how to take Easy Vino to the next level. Although we have a long list of features to add, we want to hear from you and focus on what is useful to you as a user.

If you haven't yet done so, go to easyvino.com and register to get early access to our beta. 

I want to thank you again for all the support. You should expect news from us very soon. In the meantime, take advantage of the good weather and enjoy a glass of cold white wine. 

Cheers!

Hugo Bernardo

Easy Vino has a new face. Let us know what you think about it and don't forget to sign up for the coming beta release.

Dear Friends,

I have exciting news! After 3 months working in my kitchen eating cereal and coke, we are finally ready to release a closed beta of our mobile app. We’ve come a long way since last Summer I first started thinking about the idea of helping people drink better wine effortlessly. 

The idea evolved to become a platform that users, winemakers, and restaurants alike can use to make better decisions about buying and selling wine. In November we started an online proof of concept that produced interesting results and helped better shape the mobile app. Thank you very much for your help!

So what’s next?

1. We Want You! Next week we will start sending invitations for our Alpheta. Let’s say it’s something in between our Alpha, which we’ve been testing since late January, and our Closed Beta, which needs Apple's approval in the app store. Until then we are limited to 100 testers so please be patient :) We count on you for the Closed Beta to help us fix bugs we haven’t yet detected, and shape the next release of the app. If you haven't yet done so, please go to easyvino.com and register for our beta. It’s as easy as writing your email address and click Go. Tell your wine drinking friends as well. We appreciate it! :)

2. What to expect at this point? In this version, Easy Vino will do 3 basic things: recommend wine in restaurants and wine bars, help you remember the wine you drink, and allow you to rate the wine you drink. We decided to cover specific geographies as thoroughly as possible before expanding, so on Day 1 Easy Vino will be available in the San Francisco Financial District, and Downtown Palo Alto. We will be adding new locations continuously, so expect the coverage to improve dramatically in the coming months.

3. What lies ahead and how you can help. After this first stage we will focus on 2 things: develop relationships with restaurants, and build an intelligent recommendation engine. We can use your help on both these goals: if you know restaurant owners in SF and/or Palo Alto I appreciate an introduction ([email protected]), and please rate the wine you drink as that will be extremely valuable to build our model.

4. Changes to easyvino.com. Finally, with the beginning of our Beta Stage our website will see some changes. We will take down the online form that helped us so much, and we will revamp the whole look and feel. Thankfully this time around I’m not responsible for the design so expect a much improved and better looking website ;)

That’s it for today. If you have any feedback for us, don’t hesitate to send me an email. Check this blog for daily recommendations and deals, and do tell you friends to go to easyvino.com and register for our beta.

Cheers!

We simplified our online form, eliminating the optional second page, and combining all fields in one single form. Just in time for Valentine's Day! :)

The required fields remain the same. As long as you send us a place and time, and a mean to contact you, you will receive a recommendation.

If you're now planning your Valentine's Day dinner at home and haven't made a decision about wine, we picked a handful of delicious wines ideal for this special occasion. Without breaking your wallet, these wines will surely impress your Valentine, and they're easy to find in San Francisco (we provide links to the store). 

Of course, if you've already planned your dinner out, you can go to easyvino.com and request a custom recommendation.

And now our Valentine's Wine:

2010 Albariño do Ferreiro, Rias Baixas, Spain ($24.99 at K&L Wine) - Albariño is such a great variety, and the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula makes the best Albariños. This one in particular is outstanding. The nose is classic Albariño (apple, citrus), then in the mouth is full and smooth, slightly creamy, and very refreshing. You can pair it with seafood or even white meat.

2009 Bedrock Cuvee Caritas, Sonoma County ($29.98 at The Wine House) - Beautiful Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon Blend from Sonoma. The nose is more floral than fruity. In the mouth is full and complex, very rich and creamy. Ideal with richer seafood dishes or lighter meats like pork or poultry.

2009 Álvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat, Spain ($21.98 at The Wine House) - Priorat, in the Northeast of Spain, makes some of the best Spanish reds, and Álvaro Palacios knows a few things about quality wine. This 'Camins', a blend of Cariñena and Garnacha, has a great nose with ripe fruit (berries), a little spice, and some earthiness. Delicate in the mouth, never overpowering, it's great with less complex meat dishes but you can pair it with richer stews and braised meats.

2009 Chateau Rollan de By, Médoc, France ($24.99 at K&L Wine) - For some reason French wine has a special romantic aura that makes it particularly fitting for special occasions. From Bordeaux with love just sounds great, and if you add a full rich red like this, you can't go wrong. Ripe fruit on the nose (plum, cherry) followed by a little smoke. Strong but smooth. Great with rich stews or steak.

For a final touch, try to decant any of these reds 1 hour or so before dinner. The oxygenation will help the aromas to come up more clearly.