Since the launch of the new Oxford Times iPhone and iPad app, can we discard our diaries and notebooks, pick up our mobiles and tweet our way into the wine world? -Actually yes.
There are plenty of apps for wine lovers. Most offer a variety of descriptions, pairings, and reviews along with ability to upload to Facebook and twitter. Some allow you to order the wine you are drinking and have it delivered the next day.
Berry’s Wine List (free) app is one of my favourites simply because I can use it offline. It offers advice on whether to drink bottles now or lay them down. There is a ingenuous vintage guide which identifies the best and worst years in each region, making you look like a pro when you are handed the wine list.
For collectors, try Wine Cellar (£2.49 basic, £7.49 for the import pro). This app keeps track of the wines in your cellar. It syncs to all your devices, including desktops, and will allow you to import or export bottles from/to a database so you don’t have to type them all into an iPhone. Perfect for small businesses or large collectors.
If you are a novice than Hello Vino (free) is the way to go. This app is extremely easy to use and perfect for the person that can’t decide what to drink. Besides recommendations for every occasion, you can store your wines with minimal notes. There is a small fee to scan a label or add pictures to your wines. 20 label images are $0.99 so about 63p.
Drync Wine Free or Pro (£2.49) is similar to Hello Vino. It has an extensive list of wines from its growing internet communities. You can have 10 wines in your “cellar” for the free version, and unlimited for the Pro. Drync now offers a game called VinPass, which gives bonuses, discounts and deals to their reviewers.
WineDemon (free) takes the social networking aspect one step further. It is similar to TripAdvisor allowing people to comment on everything wine. Reviewers earn points and those points equal to cash discounts at Naked Wines. Unfortunately I couldn’t try this one out because it needs the latest iOS software and won’t work with older models of the iPhone or iPod Touch.
Wine Snob (free) is my favourite for detailed note taking. It allows me to add pictures and post the notes to my blog, Facebook or twitter account.
For fun, try Wine Tonight? (free) This app uses the biodynamic calendar to let you know if it’s a good time to drink wine. Today is a “Fruit Day” which is good for drinking wine. Time to put down the laptop and pickup a glass.
All these recommendations are available on the App store.
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