LAS VEGAS — I wish I knew more about wine, other than that I like the taste of a good malbec and, in general, I prefer red to white. But if you're starting a collection and want to feel like an expert, you might want to look into the Caveasy One: a smart wine rack at CES 2018.
The wine rack will cost $531.87 when it launches in June (the Parisian startup is likely converting the price from Euros). It has five trays that hold ten bottles each, for a total of 50 bottles of wine. Here's how it works: a user takes a photo of a wine bottle's label, then places it in the rack. The Caveasy One then notifies him or her with a smartphone alert when the bottle reaches its apogee (the best point at which to drink it).
Sensors on the rack know which bottles are still on the shelf, and the app automatically removes bottles that you've already drunk.
The rack also connects to your phone via Bluetooth to monitor the temperature of your wine cellar. When I pointed out that many people don't have wine cellars, a representative for Caveasy suggested that owners may consider putting the One in basements or other cool places.
Additionally, the app can scan your current collection of wines to suggest pairings for meals, and also suggest other wines that you may want to seek out based on your previous purchases.
If you buy more racks, the Caveasy One can track up to 256 trays, creating a massive collection of 1,280 bottles of wine.
The Caveasy One is a pricey solution to what may be, for many consumers, a non-existent problem. But thinking about how this works makes me feel like I could fake knowing a lot about wine. This particular technology may be more useful in the restaurant industry, though a Caveasy rep told me that the company is looking to sell both to eateries and directly to consumers.
