Game-changing technology for Geelong’s wine culture

GEELONG start-up company Third Aurora has launched Winetales, a smartphone application which will see consumers better able to interact with their favourite wineries using augmented reality technology.

Third Aurora co-founder Dave Chaffey said although AR has been transforming the way users engage with their devices in recent years, cost has created barriers for smaller enterprises.

“There’s an obvious culture shift towards embracing artificial intelligence and augmented reality, but it has largely been accessible due to the high expense,” he said.

“We have set about changing that by creating an application that is not only free for consumers, but affordable for businesses, and it is opening up all kinds of opportunities that have previously been unavailable to small and medium-sized businesses.

“We’ve created a technology that allows a winery to manage the entire process itself – just as they would manage a Facebook page – so it’s really like DIY augmented reality where wineries can swap over their content in a heartbeat, without the high expense and without building an kind of dependency on an agency.”

Partnering with popular wineries from around the Geelong region to deliver the technology, Winetales has received an overwhelming response since it went live.

Sam Vogel, co-owner of Fyansford’s Provenance Wines, was one of the first to participate in the app’s inception and said he is thrilled with the final product.

“This technology really is a gamechanger for the wine industry and we’re excited to harness it, we believe it will allow wine lovers to hear our story and connect with our brand, as well as make a purchase on the spot. We also love being at the forefront of anything new and innovative, so we were keen to jump on board and trial it from the outset.”

Mt Duneed Estate’s Christine Whelan said the team was excited to be involved in this new technology.

“We are all about providing exceptional experiences for our customers whether it’s through a concert, cafe celebration or a wedding and with Winetales we can now enhance experiences at home and give our customers an insight into our brand and all we have to offer,” she said.

“Bringing our wine to life with Winetales is such a fun and interactive way to engage with our customers.”

Winetales is free to download and available via Google Play and Apple Store now.