New app from Steenberg Vineyards

The new app provides the winery with a convenient and internationally accessible platform to engage with techno-savvy clients, agents and wine enthusiasts. At the same time it provides app users with a fun and easy-to-use tool to learn about its selection of wines, stay abreast of new wine releases, upcoming events and special happenings.

At the cellar door, visitors to the Tasting Room are now able to access tasting notes and food and wine pairings right away, with an effortless click on their tablets, smart phones and other electronic devices. This provides interactive participation in the wine tasting experience at a new level.

3-way access

For iOS, BlackBerry and Android phone users there are three ways to find and download the app. Navigate to http://road.ie/steenbrgwine on the phones and download the app from there; scan the Quick Response (QR) Code to go to the app download page; or search for 'Steenberg Vineyards' in the respective app stores.

The app is readily available for download from the iTunes App Store (for iPhone and iPad) and from Google Play for Android, free of charge. Those who prefer accessing the app via the web, can do this via a simple web-search.

The team is upbeat about this move and believes it is a smart step in the right direction to provide its loyal supporters and business partners across the globe with a simple, user-friendly way of entering into conversation and accessing vital information about the winery. It's also an innovative tool to share targeted information with a very specific audience.

Digital advocacy

Digital advocacy is one of the latest buzzwords in tourism marketing, with 'word-of-mouse' becoming a crafty marketing tool as audiences are engaged online and inspired to take action around brands. Apps are part of this landscape and have been taking off at a rapid rate with many more people now accessing information and interacting on social networks via tablets, laptops and other devices than on their desktop PCs - because of convenience and speed.

"With these platforms, which represent an immediacy that is both intimate and practical, we can reach a much wider audience and introduce them to our wines. It gives us the chance to take the brand into the personal space of more people and start a dialogue with them, to dispel the notion that the wine industry is an exclusive one," says Anetha Homan, sales and marketing manager.