Now with the techy wave, I figured I’d throw some great apps out there for wine lovers. Whether you need a quick check on what to pair your dinner with, want to create a wish list for bottles you like, or get tasting notes and price range- these apps are the best (in my books). These are ranked in order of my love & appreciation:

1) Vivino: This app has it all. You can create a profile that allows you to track all the wines you’ve ever tasted. You can take a picture of any wine label and it will match it with a photo, price range, and notes from other tasters. You can then add it to your profile and add your personal notes. A screenshot of my profile to the side shows the amount of wines I’ve rated, my wish list items (yes, there are $400.00 bottles on there!) and my percentage of styles I’ve tried (obviously, I love my Californian Chardonnay’s).

2) Pocket Wine: This app breaks down types of grapes, styles of wine and food pairings for wine. I love this app for cooking & tend to resort to it at the grocery store. You choose what you’d like to eat for dinner (ex: White fish), you choose the type of fish and the way it’s cooked (ex: grilled cod), then it brings up a list of wines you should pair the meal with and a style guide typical to that menu item (ex: crisp or rich whites).

3) Hello Vino: This was my first wine app. It’s very similar to pocket wine, but has even more available to you for free. I would actually rank this just as high as ‘pocket wine’. First off, you can pick a colour of wine (red vs white), then the variety (ex: Barbera), then the style (ex: oaky with black fruit), then it will provide you with a description and a highly rated wine they recommend you try to appreciate that grape variety. You can also choose any type of food (dessert included!) and they’ll pair it with a wine.

4) LCBO on the Go: I love this app! Often times, I’m standing in the LCBO wondering if they have a white I tried in California or a red I heard someone raving about. This app allows you to enter your location and you can search for whatever you’re looking for in that store. It’s not just for wine, but it is extremely helpful when I’m trying to find my way around the vintage section- or in a rush.

5) Tuscany Food & Wine: This app is mainly for drooling. Like it says “a guide to the flavours and the culture of the famous Italian region. It explains the territory of Tuscany, the types of wine that are featured in the area/types of grapes commonly known to the area, and gives you fresh Italian recipes to go with the wine. If I’m having a dinner party and want to impress, this is a go-to.

So, when need be, get your phones out and you’ll have dinner and a bottle of vino sorted for the night!