Wouldn’t it be cool if there were a mobile app that could help you make wine buying decisions based on your preferences? Wouldn’t it be even more cool if that same app could help you keep track of the wines you like?
Well, it looks like there is such an app. I was recently introduced to Quini, a “wine tasting, rating and recommendations app” for iPhone and iPad (and soon to be Android).
I haven’t started using Quini yet, but I have to say that I’m impressed. In this article I’ll share my impressions of the app in the hopes that you will be motivated to check it out too.
According to their website, “Quini was developed with a team of experts in wine science, wine tasting, and interactive/visual design…[who] wanted to create a new, accessible way for people to enjoy wine, learn about tasting, develop their skills and find amazing wines through friends and recommendations.”
Quini appears to be well positioned to help a wide range of people — from wine novices to experts — rate wines in a fun, simple, structured way that:
- Educates newbies
- Enables experts to do detailed wine reviews and share/compare opinions on social media
- Records multi-faceted wine tasting preferences
- Provides personalized recommendations that get more accurate the more wines you “taste” using the app.
Think Netflix and personalized recommendations, but for wine, in your pocket!
Quini enables you to rate five aspects of the tasting experience: Eye, Nose, Mouth, Finish and Opinion. You get to rate the quality and character of each. On the Nose page, for example, you can choose from a variety of descriptions, including floral, caramel, nutty, woody, spicy, fruity and vegetal.
Each category also offers sub categories of descriptors, to make ratings that much more accurate and complete. For the novice, these choices is an opportunity to discover and learn more about wine tasting.
The app calculates a rating for each of the five aspects as well as an overall rating for the wine (100-pont max). To me, this approach is much better than a five-star or one-shot 100-point rating system, because the ratings are more reflective of the actual tasting experience.
I look at Quini as a great journaling, social sharing and profile-building tool. But I’m most excited by the app’s ability to gain more knowledge about your preferences, which in turn helps you gain more knowledge about your preferences. If you’re an educator, you might want to think about using the iPad version for the wine tasting part of your course material.
I’m eager to hear your opinions. What do you like about the app? Are you likely to try it? If you’ve tried it, how was your experience? Do you have any concerns? Please share your thoughts here. Thanks!
As an independent wine consultant with WineShop At Home, I absolutely enjoy bringing a taste of the Napa wine country home to you one sip at a time. Whether you simply love to drink wine, seek a special personalized wine gift, or are in search of a new wine jobs opportunity as a wine consultant, feel free to contact me for a truly unique wine tasting experience!
Cheers,
Betty Kaufman, WineShop At Home
2 comments
It’s actually quite simple to recall great wines you taste over time, if you write the information in a journal and remember where you put it! Many people today take a picture but that alone isn’t much of a reminder of what they liked about it. The final piece is the dilemma of buying wines that you’re not sure you’ll like. So when you get a Netflix/Amazon-like personal wine steward in your pocket that also archives your wine experiences, you get the best of both worlds. Tons of time trying to figure this one out and I too would love to hear from people who try the app to taste and rate a few wines.
Well said!