Wine glasses in a row.
More than one technological advance has taken place over a bottle of wine, but its rare when that advance is also about the wine. But Helena Verellen, cofounder of QelviQ, had a eureka moment while sharing wine with her family, “there’s something not right about this. What is not right?” she wondered. “It didn’t taste right and it was a really beautiful bottle of wine.”
What wasn’t right was the temperature of the wine. That in turn led to the idea behind the QelviQ Personal Sommelier, a device designed specifically to bring a bottle of wine to the perfect temperature, and hold it there.
Because the serving temperature of wine differs according to the wine, proper temperature control is crucial to ensure that a bottle of wine tastes its best.
QelviQ says that studies have shown that many consumers may not be properly chilling their wine, which can significantly impact its taste and quality.
For Verellen, it was as simple as realizing that their experience was one shared by wine lovers everywhere.
According to a study by Washington State University, which was conducted by a team of wine experts and technology specialists, the ideal temperature for storing and serving wine is between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything above or below this range can adversely affect the wine’s flavor and aroma, and ultimately lead to a less enjoyable drinking experience.
The study also highlighted the importance of using the right equipment to properly chill wine. Specifically, the researchers found that using a specialized wine cooler or refrigerator was the most effective way to ensure that wine was stored and served at the ideal temperature.
Temperature Control
A glass of rose wine
QelviQ developed a means of bringing a bottle of wine to the perfect temperature with a counter-top device that chils wine to within a couple of degrees of its ideal serving temperature. Making this work is a proprietary smartphone app that controls the device to ensure each specific bottle of wine is brought to the right temperature to begin with. Then the device holds the wine at that recommended temperature.
The Personal Sommelier uses temperature control method that is specifically designed for wine chilling on a bottle-by-bottle basis. The device uses multiple sensors around the bottle and directs its cooling so that the entire bottle is brought to the same temperature.
The temperature is selected according to a database of over 80,000 winemakers. Access to the wine database is done by scanning the wine label with a smartphone, using the QelviQ app. For wines that aren’t currently in the database, the company has a team of professional sommeliers who can research the proper serving temperature and add it. Once the wine is scanned, it’s also added to a personal data store for fast access.
“Instead of one sensor for the temperature measurement within the device, there’s three,” Verellen said. “We optimize the algorithm of the actual measurement. As compared to a refrigerator, where you only measure ambient temperature, at QelviQ, we use our sensors and technology to measure temperature from three different points: the ambient, the bottle, and through the glass.” The app recommends the optimal wine temperatures
The device is easy to use, with a one button click which sends the device the proper temperatures. Chilling the wine requires about two minutes per 10 degrees Celsius that the wine needs to be cooled. The device beeps when the chilling of wine begins and then lights up and beeps when that bottle is properly chilled.
QelviQ uses Google Cloud for its database as well as for the archive of customer wine collections. It can record the full inventory of a wine collection, so users are able to see how much of each wine is on hand, and it can record a wish list of wine. A company spokesperson said that a firmware update is planned that will allow warming of wine that’s too cold. The Personal Sommelier retails for $649.00 and the app is available for iOS and Android devices.