About Insta-Somm — A sommelier in your pocket®
About Insta-Somm
A Sommelier in Your Pocket®
Discover the science behind perfect food and wine pairings
Our Company
Great pairings are not guesswork—they are chemistry. Insta-Somm is an objective, systematic approach to food and wine, grounded in molecular gastronomy. Foods are matched with wines that share the same molecular structure.
The dominant flavor molecule is represented by a color: green, yellow, red, orange, and blue. Each wine is also assigned a number from 1 to 4 and then paired with foods that match their level of acidity—from bone-dry (level 1) to sweet (level 4).
This patented system transforms the art of wine pairing into an accessible, scientific process that anyone can master.
Why Choose Insta-Somm?
We help restaurants increase wine sales and create memorable dining experiences
Increase Wine Sales
Empower your staff to confidently recommend wines, leading to higher wine sales and increased check averages.
Delight Your Guests
Provide guests with perfect pairings every time, creating memorable dining experiences that keep them coming back.
Easy to Learn
Staff can master our color-coded system in minutes, no extensive wine training required.
Science-Backed
Built on principles of molecular gastronomy, our patented system provides reliable, objective pairings.
Versatile Pairing
Works with any cuisine and wine list, from classic pairings to lesser-known varietals.
Modern Experience
Elegant, mobile-friendly interface that guests can access right at the table.
Our History
It all began at the famous Spanish restaurant, El Bulli, 5-time winner of the title "Best Restaurant in the World." Its renowned chefs, Juli Soler and Ferran Adrià, began experimenting with numerous avant-garde cooking techniques that led to an interest in the molecular structure of food and how it reacts to different cooking techniques.
But it was the French Canadian sommelier, François Chartier, in his groundbreaking work "Tastebuds and Molecules," who began pairing food with wine based on the molecular structure of each.
This revolutionary approach laid the foundation for what would become Insta-Somm—a practical, user-friendly system that brings the science of molecular gastronomy to every restaurant table.
From the Loire Valley to Your Table
From the Loire Valley to Your Table
What began as a conversation at Château Yvonne has become a revolutionary system helping restaurants worldwide increase wine sales and create unforgettable dining experiences.
What began as a conversation at Château Yvonne has become a revolutionary system helping restaurants worldwide increase wine sales and create unforgettable dining experiences.
A Trip to Saumur-Champigny, France
Insta-Somm started with a trip to Château Yvonne, in the Loire Valley, where Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are the varietals of the day. But most Americans don't know them, so the owner and winemaker, Matthieu Vallée, told me he has trouble selling them in the American market.
I told him that we sell lots of Chenin and Cab Franc at my wine shop in Gloucester, Massachusetts. How? We do it by pairing them with the right foods. I explained that Chenin is one of the most versatile wines with many foods, including Asian cuisine, and Cabernet Franc is one of very few red wines that works with salads, vegan dishes, and things like artichokes and asparagus that are challenging matches.
So the idea of developing a food and wine pairing system to introduce more people to great wines they may not know was born. A simple system that matches foods by color and number makes food and wine pairing easy and fool-proof for anyone!
How Insta-Somm Works
From menu creation to guest recommendations in three simple steps
1
Upload Your Menus
Add your food menu and wine list to our platform. Our AI-powered system analyzes each item to identify dominant flavor molecules.
2
We Create the Pairings
Using molecular gastronomy principles, we automatically match your dishes with wines from your list based on shared molecular structures.
3
Staff Makes Recommendations
Your team uses our intuitive color-coded system to confidently recommend perfect pairings to guests, right at the table.
Discover New Wines
Our system helps introduce guests to lesser-known varietals they might not have tried before
Chenin Blanc
One of the most versatile white wines
Pairs beautifully with a wide range of cuisines, including Asian dishes, seafood, and poultry. Its balanced acidity and fruit-forward character make it a crowd-pleaser.
Perfect with:Sushi, Thai curry, roasted chicken
Cabernet Franc
A red wine that breaks the rules
One of the few red wines that pairs exceptionally with salads, vegan dishes, and challenging ingredients like artichokes and asparagus. Its herbaceous notes make it unique.
Perfect with:Green salads, roasted vegetables, pesto