When dining out, choosing the right bottle of wine can be a difficult decision with serious consequences.  Not only can you ruin your meal, but you can seriously hurt your wallet.  Think about it, we are often handed a random list of wines we know nothing about and are asked to make a selection within a few minutes. Our heads start spinning with questions like: Will I like how the wine tastes? Is it the right pairing for my meal? Is this a good year for Cabernet?

Consequently, when handed the wine list, most people will:

A) Pass the list to someone else at the table.

B) Equate cost to quality and order anything expensive.

C) Stare at the list long enough to find something in an attempt to fool your dinner guest(s).

D) Ask the waiter – this is like asking for directions when you’re lost – no thanks.

E) Order the first bottle  you see under the category you think you like and then mispronounce the name of it (a Phelan family trademark).

F) Not order anything because your are fearful of making the wrong decision.

Thankfully, the good people from Sales At Hand have a mobile-based solution called vKnow.  The vision from Co-founders Elia Kleiman and Carsten Winsnes have the waitstaff handing you an iPad (or some other mobile device) with a highly interactive, multimedia drink menu.  You’ll be able to click on that $20 bottle of 2008 Schild Shiraz Barossa and quickly find out that it was named a Top 100 from Wine Spectator, goes well with your burger and is reasonably priced.

You can view a demo of their product here (Best Viewed in Google Chrome or iPad)