Finger Lakes Wine Country: There Is Now an App for That

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor

Considering that there is an app for almost anything these days - chess, push-ups, board games, restaurants, pro sports - it only makes sense that wine regions will roll out apps as well. By "app," we're referring to an application for our wonderful wireless technology.  

This week, Finger Lakes Wine Country launched their own app, which can be downloaded for free.

So how is it?

I prefer to let readers check it out and answer that question in the comments section. But I'll start with some quick feedback:

It looks very nice. A series of appealing images scroll through. More importantly, it's easy to use. Half a dozen menu items are cleanly presented, allowing users to check out upcoming events, search maps of the Finger Lakes for wineries, and more.

My favorite is a tool called "nearby me" that pinpoints the user's location (if they choose to divulge it) and then lists precise distances to nearby attractions.

So how is the wine section? In a word, solid.

A series of maps helps users find dining spots, wineries, places to stay and things to do. And it's reasonably comprehensive. The maps are easy to use, with push buttons denoting each location.

The listings for specific wineries need some work. Users get an address, phone number, and map listing - all good. But they should also get a listing of tasting room hours right at the top. And the biographical section is a one-paragraph blob; it contains wonderful information but is hard to get through without paragraphs.

So my early verdict is that this is a clever design and another nice step toward regional relevance. But I'm no tech expert.

What say you?

Comments

[Lenn Thompson]

I haven't gotten to play with the app yet (because I'm on a Blackberry and that version hasn't been released yet) but I think the folks at FLWC should be applauded for embracing technology this way.

From the sounds of it, it's largely their website re-purposed as an app, which is a great start for an app like this. The key will be to go beyond that (people can use the website from their phones already). It sounds like the GPS/Map features are the real stars.

The Finger Lakes region has been a model for how to use social media, the Internet and now mobile technology to promote itself. It's time for other NY regions to follow suit.

[Steve]

I think this app looks great and is very useful. I travel through this area monthly on a bit of a time schedule for work and always see signs for this or that vineyards. This will help me see actually how far off my path I have to travel to get to the vineyard.

I would love to in the future have the wineries list out their specific wines, even reviews, but I know that that is really not what they are trying to accomplish here. Just saying that would be great. It's really a good app.

Does anyone know if any of the other NY regions are planning to follow suit? This would be great for the Hudson Valley since the vineyards are spread out so far from each other. SG

[Bryan]

This is extremely innovative for NY wines and even for American wine regions in general.

I'm not sure what's progressing faster, the quality of FL wines or FL marketing.

[Lenn Thompson]

Steve: The guys (and gal) at the NYCR might just have something up our sleeves within a year that will offer a bit of what you're looking for (reviews etc.). Stay tuned :)

[Paul Z]

Several of the mapped locations are wrong (Keuka Spring is shown as being within Penn Yan city limits, Belhurst is shown as being somewhere north of Geneva, etc.) but the FLWC folks tell me that's because they rely on Google Maps; makes sense as I find Google Maps to be pretty bad.

Also, when you mark something as a Favorite, you're taken back to the home page instead of the list you were working with, which is annoying but not a dealbreaker.

This is not a bad start, but I'm not going to rely on it for anything, and I don't think I'll recommend it to any friends for a while.

[Michael Gorton, Jr.]

I am very happy to see this for the Finger Lakes Region, and well done standing ovation to the Finger Lakes Wine Council for making this.

I don't have an I-Phone, I am a Blackberry Storm user.

I am sadden by this because there is nothing for my home turf of Long Island. Why don't we have one!

Furthermore, I see the Finger Lakes Wine Council Everywhere; Taste Live Page, active on twitter and Facebook, contests and events that draw attention to the area. They have really embrace social media, and this app, is the icing on the cake!

So where is the Long Island Wine Council? Other than Jazz on the Vine...I feel as if there is nothing going on.

I am an enthusiast of Long Island wine and Long Island for that matter,( as you can read on my blog, and you can rest assure that I will be discussing this there). We will always play second fiddle to the Finger Lakes, but why?

One day, I hope soon, we Long Island, will be a destination, like the Finger Lakes is. I hope people will not just pass through on their way to the ferry. Long Island has alot to offer and we need a wine council or promoters for that matter that flood us with information and activities at vineyards, wineries, restaurants and bead and breakfasts throughout wine country.

[Finger Lakes Wine Country]

As many know, the geocoder for Google Maps is not perfectly accurate. We’re able to reprogram the Finger Lakes Wine Country database – the one that’s pulling all the info for the app – when we notice GPS inconsistencies with Google. The locations for Belhurst and Keuka Spring have been resent and will soon take effect on the app. We’re exploring the possibility of enabling the Favorite adds to stay on the same page, rather than redirecting to the home page.

[Paul Z]

Can't say fairer than that. Looking forward to the next version.