Missoula firm, BeverageChoice.com, aims to ease wine buying

Michael Tornatore grew up with a love for wine.

His grandfather grew up in Sicily and made his own wine from homegrown grapes.

"I grew up drinking wine," he said.

By BRAD W. GARY for the Missoulian

When he was young, Tornatore would watch other shoppers question which wine to buy in the supermarket. Now, he said, the technology is available to make it easy for wine drinkers to buy knowledgeably. http://beveragechoice.com/

Over the last two years, Tornatore and others have developed a wine kiosk that makes it easier for shoppers to pick out the perfect wine. Tornatore’s company, BeverageChoice.com, is currently testing its first Wine ‘n Dine kiosk in Bi-Lo Foods.

"I’m really happy with it," Tornatore said.

The kiosk has a touch screen that allows shoppers to select a bottle of wine based on a variety of options, including color, weight, body and price. Each listing features the manufacturer’s description and a picture of the product, and the program uses the widely recognized Wine Spectator rating system.

Tornatore said the machine is great for both novice wine buyers and aficionados.

"We want everyone to have a level playing ground," he said.

The kiosk in Bi-Lo Foods also features descriptions of beer and wine coolers.

"It’s a program that’s customized to each and every store," said Tornatore.

Specific kiosks will have specific components of the Wine ‘n Dine system, depending on the store’s customers and wine selection, Tornatore said.

Shoppers also are able to scan bottles of wine to learn the details of a specific one. Each description is provided by the manufacturer and details specific qualities of the wine.

Tornatore said that one of the purposes of the kiosk is to alleviate what he calls "Single Label Syndrome."

"This helps broaden their horizons," he said of wine drinkers.

Tornatore said kiosks in some stores will have the ability to match a specific wine with the food it goes best with, including cheeses, desserts, meats and pastas. Recipes using wine also will be available.

"People can actually print out recipes," he said.

Tornatore expects to add the recipe portion to the Bi-Lo kiosk soon.

Eventually, wine lovers will be able to order wine through their favorite retailer from the privacy of their home through the kiosk’s "wine cellar" system, Tornatore said. Through the wine cellar, shoppers will be able to make special orders for cases of wine through a Web portal on the Internet.

Tornatore said more kiosks will be seen in the area starting in July.

"Within the next year you will find these machines coast to coast," he said.

Tornatore could not say exactly how much the kiosk would cost retailers, but did predict that stores would make up for it with an increase in beverage sales.

"These things become a huge profit center for a store," he said.

Bi-Lo owner Jim Edwards’ reaction to the kiosk has been positive.

"Everyone that’s talked to me just says, ‘Wow, that’s

cool,’ " said Edwards.

Tornatore said his company is working on spinoff projects and that he plans to continue in the food and beverage industry.

"Our software is generic in the sense that we can accommodate any product in any store," he said.

BeverageChoice.com employs about 10 people, shareholders and programmers included. It is currently allied on a national level with NCR Corp. and IBM.

Tornatore said that he hopes to hire about 70 people within the next five years. His company is currently working with the Montana World Trade Center to achieve that goal.

"We have a lot of really talented people here," he said.

Edwards said that he expected a product like the kiosk might be developed in a larger city such as Los Angeles or New York.

"It’s something you wouldn’t think would be done in Missoula."

http://missoulian.com/articles/2003/04/15/business/bus01.txt