Touring Napa Valley: There’s an app for that now
DAN SOLOMON | Posted: Saturday, October 15, 2011 6:57 pm | (1) Comments
WEDNESDAY - SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 - NAPA, CA - Co-authors Lahni, left, and Ralph de Amicis have published 10 titles in wine touring books andthey say that their Napa Valley Wine Tour App is Apple's top-selling wine tour application. J.L. Sousa/Register
To learn more:
• AmicisTours.com
• 235-2364
When you say "app" in Napa Valley, many people think appellation. But not Ralph and Lahni de Amicis.
These Napa residents and tour guides have created a different kind of app — a smartphone application called the Napa Valley Wine Tour.
According to Ralph de Amicis, their wine tour app, which costs $2.99, has sold more than 4,000 copies. "It’s being used in 42 countries and we have seen more than 20,000 downloads" of the app and its updates, he said.
De Amicis said many apps and guides are merely summaries or collations of older material often cobbled together by authors who have never visited wine country. "Ours is an original creation," he said, "and unlike others, we use a tour guide’s approach to Napa and wine country."
Seven years ago, the de Amicis moved to Napa. Visiting friends and business pals were constantly asking the questions most wine country residents hear:
"Where should we go?," "Where should we stay?" and "Where should we eat?"
De Amicis said he decided to write a comprehensive guide that answered these questions.
To do the research, de Amicis became a tour guide with Beau Wine Tours.
"It taught me a lot about wine country, wineries and wine," he said. During the off-season he began writing his guide, but missed touring and seeing his winery friends. "Some larger tour companies must go to certain wineries again and again because they have to please lots of clients with differing needs," he said. "Many, therefore, don’t go off the beaten path. ... I felt we needed our own tour and car service and started de Amicis Tours.
"I learned early on that the guy standing next to that big black touring limo often knew much more than the people in the tasting room," he added. "Think about it. No one spends as much time with visitors as do tour guides. They may spend an entire day or even several days with clients and learn what people want and how best to navigate wine country."
De Amicis made detailed notes about each and every tour, including timing, tasting room costs and wines available. He also noted how visitors were or were not welcomed, and jotted down the comments of clients. By the end of the year, he had compiled a remarkable overview of wineries and tasting rooms. His book "Napa & Sonoma — a Love Affair in Maps" was first published in 2007. It has since been revised and edited and is now in its fourth printing.
The opportunity to create a smartphone app was pure happenstance. One day, a friend who had seen an ad on Craigslist called. Sutro, a new firm, was seeking someone to create a smartphone app about touring Napa Valley. Because of his book research, de Amicis had all the necessary notes and materials immediately available and was hired to author "Napa Valley Wine Tour," the second app in the Sutro catalog. It was first made available in 2009.
"Tour books are often big and bulky, while an app resides on a smartphone and has all the information needed and more," de Amicis said. "And unlike a book, it’s interactive. Our Napa app lists about 270 wineries that the public can easily visit. We did not list wineries where a secret handshake is needed."
The app provides a brief overview of each listed winery; maps detailing how to get there; and more than 2,000 photos, plus a video tour of various wineries. Tasting room hours and fees are also included, along with links to the winery’s website and phone number should an appointment be needed.
Several tours are suggested based upon an interest or theme. For example, there is a winery tour designed to please art lovers. Another is suggested for those who love gardens and gardening. There is even a tour focused on wineries that played a significant role in the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" tasting.
The app is connected to GPS and Google to provide estimated distance and drive times.
"Our Napa Valley app lives on the phone and not the Internet," de Amicis explained. "You need this kind of native app so you can access maps and information no matter where you are."
Connecting to the Internet in wine country may often be impossible due to rural location or geography. "We have therefore provided more than 300 easy-to–read, hand-drawn maps that get users to selected wineries with or without an Internet connection," de Amicis said.
"Because we can track what pages are most read, and how long users stay on a page, it has become clear to us that users are buying the app months in advance and using it for strategic planning and not just for winery touring. That’s something we did not expect. We have therefore been updating and adding lots of information and comments about wine country lodgings and restaurants."
While the "Napa Valley Wine Tour" app is available only for the iPhone, iPad and iPod via the iTunes store and the Sutro catalog, de Amicis hopes to have it available soon for Droid and Blackberry phones.
"We like to think our app is the second-best souvenir of wine country," he said.
"First, of course, is the wine."
