An app picked my wine & it knows me better than I know myself

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wineview lefresca
Cheers! Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

Does fresh pasta go best with red or white? Do I like “oaky” Chardonnay? What was the name of that red blend I enjoyed so much? I have no idea, but my phone does. I’d had enough with the guesswork (+ getting stuck with wine I didn’t like) so I downloaded WineView, an app developed right here in Birmingham. It went a little something like this…

Step 1: Choose your favorite restaurant + download WineView

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Let’s do this. Photo via WineView

WineView is available at a wide variety of restaurants across town, including some of my favorites like Bottega, Bettola, Chez Fonfon, Hot & Hot, Ovenbird and The Essential, with more added regularly. If you want to see the app at your favorite restaurant, you can request it on their website.

Birmingham is a true foodie town, and it can be hard to pick a favorite. Today, I tried Le Fresca for the first time, and I’m so glad I did.

All that was left to do was download the app, then I was ready to roll.

Step 2: Let your tummy do the talking

wine view menu le Fresca
Decisions, decisions… Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

After hearing about Le Fresca’s fresh, hand-crafted pasta (with imported Italian flour, no less!) I knew what I had to do. I went for the pesto gnocchi and that was the last decision I made during the meal.

It was time for WineView to take center stage.

Step 3: Turn it over to WineView

wineview menu le Fresca
Let the app do the work for you. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

I let the app take it from there, and it really couldn’t have been easier. I simply opened the app, and it asked me to confirm I was at Le Fresca. Then, the full menu appeared and I selected my entree.

The app recommended a variety of wines from Le Fresca’s list that pair best with my chosen dish. For me, it was a crisp white wine.

Step 4: Give it a taste

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Our server gave the app’s recommendations a thumbs up. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have ordered this wine on my own. The name was in a different language and a variety I wasn’t familiar with (I Frati Lugana – Cà dei Frati for all you wine connoisseurs out there).

I will say, I was very pleasantly surprised on the initial taste. It was refreshing, crisp and exactly what I was looking for… even if I didn’t know what I was looking for.

Step 5: Enjoy a perfectly paired meal

wineview lefresca
My new favorite app. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

Before I knew it, my pasta came out and it was time for the real test. It’s one thing for wine to be good on its own, but how would it do with the pasta?

Sampling wine and food pairings is a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it, and this was the perfect pair. The richness of the pesto was a great fit for the crisp white wine, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

I was quick to save the wine to “My Profile,” a portion of the app that starts to learn your preferences. As you sample and give feedback on wines you try, it offers more tailored recommendations + archives your past favorites for quick reference in case you want to pick up a bottle at the store. Isn’t technology amazing?

Stop trusting yourself to pick your wine, and leave it to the algorithm. Download WineView today.

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Madison Croxson
Madison Croxson
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