Written by Jennifer Gregoire
Friday, 18 June 2010 23:07
THE BEST WINE APPS
Chances are good that you have an iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry or other Smartphone, and since your reading this blog we are pretty certain you are a wine lover, so why not combine the two? 
Here at Cal Wine Cellars we are always talking about social media and how wineries are able to use new technologies to reach out and connect with their customers. Well, now it’s your turn! All you need is your handy dandy cell phone to download one of the many wine related apps and, volia! It’s like having a wine sommelier in your pocket. And who doesn’t want one of those?
HELLO VINO
---IPHONE APPS---
New to wine? Looking to find the basic information so you can select wine with ease, no more sweat beading up on your forehead as you try to figure out what wine goes with pork roast, Hello Vino does it all for you. Simply pick the food you’re having and the occasion and Hello Vino goes to work to decide the perfect wine for you.
Cost: Free!
TASTING ROOM FINDER
This is the ultimate in your hand guide to winery tasting rooms around the US. Google is great for telling what wineries exist, but if you want to kick it up a notch and get all the info you need to find winery tasting rooms in your area then the Tasting Room Finder is the app for you. Not only does this app find the nearest winery tasting rooms, it also gives you directions to the tasting room and the wineries phone number. The best part, you can take photos of wines you like and store them with your own notes and ratings. We all know it’s no use trying to remember for ourselves, so why not let this wine app do it for you!
Cost: $4.99
Want to find the perfect wine pairing? Just shake your iPhone, yep, that’s right, shake or “Swirl” your phone and the Pair It! app will find a pairing for you. With over 180 varietals and 1,000 food items (and counting) this app turns the troublesome task of figuring out what wine to pair with your meal into a fun experience. You can even save your favorite pairings and add your own notes for next time.
Cost: $2.99
WINE PH.D
Make intelligent wine selections with the help of Wine Ph.D. With a catalog of thousands of wines, you’re guaranteed to find your perfect wine, at the right price and even from your preferred region. This app even gives you the inside scope with ratings and comments from both wine enthusiasts and professionals. And if any of the wine terms used are foreign to you… or perhaps require a Ph.D to understand?!, don’t worry, because Wine Ph.D comes complete with a glossary of wine terms, so you’ll never again have to scratch your head and wonder what a Cépage* is.
* French term for grape variety. When it appears on a wine label it will usually refer to the varietals used to make the wine.
Cost: $4.99
DRYNC
With 800,000 wines and counting and over 100,000 users, the Drync wine app is probaly the most well known of the wine app bunch. This app not only gives you customer reviews for each wine, but also reviews from the wine world’s own Gary Vaynerchcuk. Once you’ve read the reviews and decided which wine is the right one for you (or simply chose from their suggested wine list) the Drync app will locate a store that sells it for you, giving you the price as well as pairing options. This is one app that definitely does the work for you.
Cost: Free for the lite version & $4.99 for the pro version
WINERY QUEST PRO
As a website focused on California wines and wineries, this is definitely the perfect app for us! The Winery Quest Pro app has almost 900 California wineries in over 20 regions in its database which means the next time you need to plan a winery tasting trip this is the app that will get you there. Found the perfect trip? Add it to your trip log! This app stays up to date by adding new wineries daily, including giving you the full scope on the tasting events including wine prices and tasting fees.
Cost: $7.99
WINE DJ
You have the wine, you have the food & your date - the only thing left to do is to set the mood. That’s where the Wine DJ app comes in. This app goes to work selecting the perfect music playlist for your romantic dinner for two or even a tasting event with fifty of your closest friends. Wine DJ searches through thousands of songs having your guests think you not only have great taste in wine, but also great taste in music… don’t worry, we won’t tell them your secret.
Cost: Free!
---BLACKBERRY & SMARTPHONE APPS---
Don’t have an iPhone? Well, the good news is there are still wine apps for you, but sadly there are less wine apps available for those who have a Blackberry or Smartphone, hopefully as the wine apps industry grows this will change. Until then, allow us to highlight a few of the top picks currently on offer.
WINE ENTHUSIAST GUIDE
Knowledge is power! With over 80,000 professional wine reviews (and growing) at your fingertips you’ll definitely feel the power behind this app. Brought to you by The Wine Enthusiast Magazine this app allows you to search for wine by price, varietal, or wine rating. This is by far the most complete wine app for Blackberry and Smartphone lovers alike, a must buy!
Cost: $9.99
NAT DECANTS WINE AND FOOD MATCHER
Ranked the number one wine app on App World and recommended in the New York Times, NAT Decants Wine and Food Matcher app is guaranteed to please. Its comprehensive wine database helps you with wine pairings and gives you recipes, wine reviews, articles and more. All brought to you by Nat MacLean, a well-known writer, judge, and member of the National Capital Sommelier Guild.
Cost: $2.99 (plus $2.10/mo. for access to Nat’s in-depth wine reviews)
There you have it, the latest and greatest wine apps on the market today!
Which wine app is your favorite? Let us know your own reviews and top picks.
