All the skill of the Sommelier can be found in something called the "Delectable Kiosk" which now sits inoffensively at the wine section of Whole Foods 365 Markets.
The market, newly opened in Santa Monica, features this electronic know it all by allowing the customer to search every wine bottle in the store based on price, region of origin and grape type. Scan the bottle and reviews by other wine lovers will appear P>Our attendance at the opening of the new Whole Foods 365 Market in Santa Monica was a look into the future of grocery retail. Besides the traditional sections for produce, meat and seafood, frozen and grocery there was a whole section devoted to fresh eats. And tucked into two corners of the new facility was Asian Box Street Food as well as a fountain style shop featuring Groundwork coffee.
What truly caught our eye was the Delectable Kiosk located in the wine section. The Kiosk takes all the guess work out of selecting a bottle of wine. This allows the customer to search all in-store wines based on price, grape type, region of origin and more.
Scanning a wine bottle instantly brings up reviews about the wine from other consumers. It is now to be found in all the present and future 365 by Whole Foods Market stores.
Looking over the wine selection at the new Santa Monica store we had to admire the large selection of wines, placed in each section by varietal.
For smart phone users there is the Delectable app. allowing the scanning of the wine label to share a review and see other tasting notes. Already the Delectable has a strong following with Millennials.
The touchscreen kiosks are powered by Antonio Galloni's Vinous wine platform which has enjoyed large success.
We met with James Forsyth, cofounder and executive vice president, who personally demonstrated the Kiosk to us. And he allowed this Writer the opportunity to test its skills. We touched in requesting a $15 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the North Coast region of California. And instantly four brands appeared on the screen from the Mendocino appellation.
Some of the amazing features of the Delectable Kiosk include scanning the barcode of specific bottles to instantly pull up all the information for that beverage. Then get recommendations on pairings to featured Whole Foods Market recipes to be sent directly to your smart phone.
The Delectable Kiosk is the solution for taking the guesswork out of wine selection. Studies have shown that 82 per cent of consumers buy a wine based on the look of its label because of lack of information.
Also of interest in the beverage section were the spirits products of Greenbar Distillery which is located in downtown Los Angeles. Tours and tastings of Greenbar product are held at 2459 East 8th Street in Los Angeles, on the web at www.greenbardistillery.com.
The opening of the Santa Monica store for the media included tastings throughout the store followed by opportunity to sample the Asian street food of the adjourning Asian Box with its extensive patio.
The new Whole Foods 365 Market is located at 2121 Cloverfield Blvd. at Pico in Santa Monica.
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