Treat yourself to the wine cellar of tomorrow!
The invention is Swiss, surprising, and beautifully designed. Housed in blocks of solid oak, Mémoire du vin is in fact an ultra-modern, remotely operated cellar management system.
Mémoire du vin — For managing your cellar from your iPhone, among other things…
It is a true oddity. A sculpture. Three solid oak monoliths housing an extraordinary cellar management tool comprising a 12-inch touchscreen, a wine identification system using RFID tags (Radio Frequency Identification), and a control unit with USB and Ethernet ports for managing your cellar from your iPhone.
The idea was born in the mind of Antoine Lorotte, son of Burgundians and a graduate of the École Polytechnique de Lausanne. A founding member, alongside former classmates, of a technology project design firm, they spent four years conceiving this one-of-a-kind object. "We wanted to create something both very beautiful, perfectly integrated into a wine cellar, and technologically highly refined," he explains.
Mémoire du vin is also very easy to use. Your wine library becomes immediately and intuitively accessible. Information about the wines you hold will be added to an existing database integrated into the touchscreen, regularly updated and referencing the world's greatest vineyards, making it straightforward to catalogue your cellar.
The "informer" ring
Once data has been entered, the wine's information is stored in a ring fitted around the neck of the bottle. Designed to fit all bottle types, it becomes their memory. Simply pass the ring alongside the solid oak monolith for the reader to retrieve the information, which then appears on the touchscreen and deducts the bottle from stock. For sealed cases, a magnetic card attached to the case serves the same purpose as the ring. "You then have access to your cellar from your computer, iPhone, or BlackBerry, via a secure website. At any time, you can not only check your consumption profile but also restock remotely," Antoine Lorotte continues.
This last feature is offered by vintage wine expert Laurent Vialette, who also became involved in the project by enabling Mémoire du vin owners to access his real-time wine valuation database. "In practice, through an annual subscription, I offer a genuine cellar concierge service. Thanks to my database, the owner can track their consumption, the current value of their wines and how it evolves over time, and purchase wine," explains Laurent Vialette.
Built-in seismograph
Just launched at around €15,000, the product is already finding favour among well-heeled enthusiasts. "For those who are interested, I offer Mémoire du vin in exchange for purchasing a case of their grand vin," Laurent Vialette notes. And in 2011, an additional module will be available: a small oak block incorporating a thermometer, a hygrometer, and a seismograph. "This will make it possible to monitor how the cellar evolves, and when you wish to sell a bottle, you will be able to produce a certificate displaying graphs of your cellar's environmental history since you have owned Mémoire du vin," Antoine Lorotte adds. Thanks to this Swiss gem, you will never again lose track of what is in your cellar.
Jérôme Baudouin
