The best wine app depends on how you drink and collect. Shoppers want to scan a label and see what others thought; collectors want to track every bottle in their cellar; learners want guides to grapes and regions and a place to keep tasting notes. Ten apps follow in no particular order.
Standing in a wine aisle with hundreds of labels can be bewildering, and remembering the bottle you loved at a friend's dinner is even harder. Wine apps help with both, from instant label scans to careful cellar records.
The ten apps below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from big label scanners to small apps for natural wine, cellars and tasting notes. Each description comes from the app's own App Store listing, re-checked this week. If you're hosting, my ChatGPT prompts for icebreakers and party games will get the conversation flowing too.
Wine apps at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the app's own store listing or site describes free use or a free download, Trial only means a time-limited trial and No means neither is stated on the pages we read. Many free apps carry ads or sell optional upgrades.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| CellarTracker | Cellar tracker | Community tasting notes | Yes |
| InVintory | Cellar manager | Visual cellar management | Yes |
| Preferabli | Taste profile | Learning your taste | Yes |
| Raisin | Natural wine guide | Natural wine bars | Yes |
| Vinocell | Cellar manager | Detailed cellar records | No |
| Vivino | Label scanner | Scanning labels in shops | Yes |
| Wine Folly Plus | Wine education | Learning about grapes | Yes |
| Wine-Searcher | Wine finder | Finding a specific bottle | Yes |
| WineRatings+ | Critic scores | Critic tasting notes | Yes |
| WSET Tasting Notes | Tasting notes | Structured tasting | Yes |
Ten wine apps
CellarTracker
Best for: Collectors who want to track their cellar and read tasting notes from a large community of drinkers.
InVintory
Best for: Serious collectors who want to track every bottle with a label scanner and a visual map of their racks.
Preferabli
Best for: Drinkers who want recommendations that learn from their own ratings rather than other people's scores.
Raisin
Best for: Travellers who love natural wine and want bars and restaurants that serve it, wherever they are.
Vinocell
Best for: Organised collectors who want precise records of each bottle from arrival to the night it's opened.
Vivino
Best for: Shoppers who want to scan a label in the aisle and see what other drinkers thought of the wine.
Wine Folly Plus
Best for: Curious learners who want plain-language guides to grapes, regions and serving, from a wine education team.
Wine-Searcher
Best for: Hunters of a particular bottle who want to find where it's stocked and add it to a cellar list.
WineRatings+
Best for: Readers who trust critics and want scores, tasting notes and vintage charts from one publication.
WSET Tasting Notes
Best for: Students and enthusiasts who want to write consistent tasting notes using a structured, professional approach.
What a wine label has to tell you
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the TTB, says wines labelled with a grape variety must also show an appellation of origin, and when two or more grape varieties are named, the label must show the percentage of each.
What that means for you: the label itself carries real information about what's in the bottle and where it comes from. Learn to read grape and region first, then use an app's ratings as a second opinion rather than the whole story.
Scanner, cellar tracker or learning app?
Label scanners identify a bottle from a photo and show community ratings or critic scores. Cellar trackers record what you own, where it sits and when to drink it. Learning apps explain grapes, regions and tasting, and some help you write structured tasting notes. A few apps focus on finding natural wine bars and shops.
Casual drinkers will get the most from a scanner. Collectors need a cellar tracker, and anyone studying wine will value a learning app and tasting notes.
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Building a wine memory
- Scan or photograph every bottle you enjoy.
- Write three words about how it tasted.
- Note the grape, region and year.
- Rate it for yourself, not for anyone else.
- Look for patterns in what you liked.
- Use those patterns next time you shop.
Tasting notes in three steps
- Look. Note the colour and how deep it looks.
- Smell. Fruit, flowers, spice, oak or earth.
- Taste. Sweetness, acidity, tannin and how long it lasts.
- Decide. Would you buy it again?
Enjoying wine sensibly
Wine apps make exploring fun, but it's worth remembering that more tasting doesn't have to mean more drinking. Smaller pours, tasting flights and sharing bottles let you try more styles without overdoing it.
Some people use their app to plan alcohol-free days as well as wine nights. A tracker can show how often you're opening a bottle, which is useful information in itself.
And always plan how you're getting home after a tasting or wine bar visit.
Wine apps for gifts and dinners
Wine apps come into their own when you're buying for someone else. A quick scan in the shop can tell you whether a bottle is well liked, which helps when you're choosing a gift or bringing something to dinner.
If you know what the host is cooking, look up which grapes and regions go with it. Learning apps often have simple pairing notes that take the guesswork out.
And keep a list of bottles that went down well at your own gatherings; it'll save you time next season.
Do you make a wine app? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a wine app
Start with a scanner for everyday shopping and add a tracker only once you've got bottles worth tracking. Your own notes and ratings will soon be more useful than anyone else's.
And learn a little about grapes and regions; it makes every app more useful and every glass more interesting. For more free guides, browse my free resources library.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best wine app?
A label scanner for shopping, a cellar tracker for collectors or a learning app for studying wine.
Can an app identify a wine from the label?
Yes. Several apps here recognise a wine from a photo of its label.
What does a wine label have to show?
The TTB says varietal wines must show an appellation of origin, and blends naming two or more grapes must show each percentage.
Are wine apps free?
Most apps here are free downloads; one charges for the download and some sell upgrades.
How do I track my wine cellar?
Use a cellar tracker to record each bottle, where it's stored and when to drink it.
Can a wine app help me learn about wine?
Yes. Some apps here explain grapes and regions or help you write structured tasting notes.
