Ali TrachtaYou know how wine tasting goes. You spend a lovely afternoon sipping Chardonnay and Pinot, making mental notes of what you love. But inevitably, you find yourself in the liquor store a week later going, “Was it this vineyard's Syrah or Zin that we liked? And where did we have that great sparkling wine?” Tipsiness claims another victim.
That's where Wine Wherever, one of our new favorite iPhone apps, comes in. Wine Wherever is like carrying a digital recording device on your tour of the tasting rooms, allowing you to document where you go and what you taste, as well as take pictures and store notes about the what you like.
The app is broken up by region – nine major wine areas in California are represented including the South Coast, Santa Barbara County, the Central Valley and all major northern regions, as well as versions for Washington, Oregon, Texas and New York. It maps the major vineyards and tasting rooms around you and provides Google-mapped directions on how to get there.
Within each region, wineries can be searched by name, by city, or by proximity. In a somewhat superfluous but cute touch, the app also provides wine-themed “conversation starters” (“Does darker color equate to a better quality wine?” “Are real corks better than synthetic corks and screw caps?) as well as “Stephanie Says!” – a list of wine tasting tips.
More useful is the coupons section, which provides digital discounts at vineyards and tasting rooms in the area, at least in theory. Wineries proved difficult to sign before the app took off, so coupons are not yet available, but per the app owners, Dahlynn and Ken McKowen, they have recently become more interested. Discounts via app should be available soon.
Wine Wherever can be purchased for either $1.99 or $2.99, depending on the region, on your iPhone.
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