App review: Wine Spectator

Published on February 19, 2013

Throughout this week we will be reviewing interesting mobile apps for food lovers as part of National App Week. No, we didn’t know App Week existed until yesterday, either – but apparently Britain is considered to be the world’s best when it comes to app development, so that’s a good enough reason for us.

Here, Michael Banks of tech company Corporate Group takes us through the Wine Spectator app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad…

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What does it do?
This handy little app allows users to access wine reviews and ratings straight from the experts. It includes detailed tasting notes, release prices and current auction prices on wine from twelve different countries. It’s as much of an education tool for wine lovers as it is a handy go-to app for the enthusiastic chef wanting to make a good wine choice, and it subtly teachers users how to assess the overall quality and character of each region’s wines and when they will be at their most enjoyable. With vintage charts covering fifty five of the world’s principal wine regions and grape varieties, the content is thorough but easily searchable by name, producer, price, score and region. It’s also up to date with news feeds, fresh reports and insights direct from the Wine Spectator website.

What was good about it?
Each review is written by an experienced ‘Wine Spectator’ editor, using strict blind-tasting methods so you can be sure you’re getting sound advice. The regular updates ensure the content’s always current and up to a thousand wine reviews are added each month. The ‘Expert Picks’ feature is superb, offering advice on which wines to purchase and allows a neat cut through of what is, admittedly, a vast amount of information.

What was bad about it?
The free version is a bit of a taster, albeit a very extensive one, but those in the industry might be tempted to pay the $2.99 per month it costs to unlock all 275,000 wine ratings.

Verdict:
There’s so much information here from trusted sources, even without paying for additional content, that it’s well worth the download.

Score: 5/5

Wine Spectator is available free on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. Download it here.

The author:

Matt lives in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He is passionate about the independent food & drink sector and founded Great Food Club in 2010 after being inspired by local producers near his home town.