After a long day, sometimes I just want someone else to pick out the wine, but usually I end up doing it myself because I want to drink something I’m actually going to enjoy. So what to do when your only option is the nearest liquor store for the quick-buy post-work/ pre-dinner? Well my friends, there’s an app for that! Actually, there are a few. Read below on a couple I’ve been sampling lately and please send me any you’ve found useful or let me know what your experience with these has been.
1. Wine Spectator (WS) VintageChart+
This is a very simple application for iPhone and iPad that can be helpful when you find yourself staring at an endless wall of wine from a region with which you’re not too familiar. When you don’t know what the difference is between two wines of the same variety that are from different years (known as vintages, in wine-speak) and you just need to make an educated guess. This app takes care of guessing part by collecting countless wine reviews from pro-tasters and aggregating the scores into a handy little vintage chart. Take a look and try it out (it’s FREE) next time you’re seeking guidance and the clerk is clueless.
Hmm… was German wine better from ’07 or ’08? Just tap “Germany” to find out!
As you can see, Germany’s ’07 vintages were rated slightly higher than its ’08 vintages. All else being equal, this is a helpful tie-breaker!
2. Cor.kz – The App for CellarTracker.com users and recommended for those curious enough about wine to know they don’t know much
For serious collectors, Cor.kz is a dream come true. The app (available for numerous devices) pulls your personal account information from CellarTracker.com, an excellent site developed to track your personal wine collection. It also optimizes all the other great features on the site such as sharing tasting notes and interacting with your fellow trackers. Minimal investment of $2.99 but if you are a regular CellarTracker.com user, this app is priceless.
Not just for tracking, Cor.kz is also great for exploring the extensive database of over 34 million bottles reviewed by both collectors and professionals.
The best thing about this app is how its “shareability” factor. You can add whatever you’ve just purchased after a wine tasting and then share your latest discovery with friends on multiple platforms. Bravo!
Let me know what you think about these or send me your recommendations for other wine apps you enjoy.
Salute!
