A local creative technology company, Ideum, is revolutionizing the wine-tasting experience in Santa Fe with its new interactive digital-touch wine-tasting table. The innovative tool, known as the Tasting Table, features cutting-edge Windows-based software called the Wine Experience, designed to enhance wine tasting through touch technology.
Launched in September, Ideum has showcased the Tasting Table at various pop-up events in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Through Friday, visitors can experience the table at VARA Winery’s Santa Fe Tasting Room, where the winery also played a role in refining the final software design.
Founded in California in 1999, Ideum relocated to Corrales, New Mexico, in 2006 and has since built a strong portfolio, partnering with aquariums, cruise lines, museums, and beverage venues globally. The company specializes in crafting interactive touch tables, walls, and exhibits. Jim Spadaccini, the founder of Ideum and a self-professed amateur winegrower, said the company has been developing beverage-focused products for some time, leading to the creation of the Tasting Table.
The bar-height table, made of steel and wood, comfortably seats four and is fully crafted in New Mexico. It features a 55-inch touch display screen that utilizes advanced object-recognition software. Paired with custom 3D-printed wine coasters, the table can recognize and display information about the wine placed on it.
The Tasting Table guides users with optional, step-by-step wine-tasting tips, perfect for novices. It also offers geographic and agricultural insights about the wine being tasted. The experience is further enriched by a tasting wheel, allowing users to input their flavor and aroma observations. This data, collected during tastings, can be valuable for winemakers and wineries to understand customers’ perceptions of their wines.
Spadaccini emphasized that the Tasting Table aims to make wine tasting more inclusive and less intimidating, shifting the focus away from being solely led by experts. “The whole idea is giving people agency, giving them the ability to express themselves and have conversations about what they’re tasting,” he said.
Krysta Acree, a Rio Rancho resident who tried the Tasting Table at a recent wine tasting event at VARA’s Santa Fe Tasting Room, praised the experience. As a wine novice, she appreciated how the table helped bridge the gap between seasoned wine enthusiasts and beginners. “When you don’t do wine tastings regularly, it can be intimidating. This table allows us to have a conversation about wine, regardless of experience,” Acree said.
Following its stop at VARA, the Tasting Table will be featured at a wine-tasting event at the New Mexico Museum of Art on Saturday. Later this fall, it will have a permanent home at the New Mexico Wine Association’s new tasting room in Old Town Albuquerque.
In early 2025, the Tasting Table, priced at around $30,000 with three years of software included, will be available for purchase. Ideum also plans to expand the table’s capabilities to include sparkling wines in the near future.
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