Software for Wine Connoisseurs, Collectors, and Cellars

Clever and easy-to-maneuver wine collection software is no longer a luxury reserved for wine dealers, wineries, or exclusive dealers. With recent advents in software development, virtually anyone wishing to organize their wine collection can do so for under $100 (and in some cases even under $50). As any serious wine aficionado knows, keeping your cellar arranged is a challenging task and even more difficult is finding a good way to organize all the data surrounding wines. The software listed here is designed both for the management of small home cellars and also included are inexpensive programs for those with large cellars who have list of suppliers as well as customers. While none of these software resources are likely to take the place of a decent POS system (which manages customers, invoices, etc.) they can serve as great starter programs for those seeking to build a business out of wine selling. For small wine cellars, like many of you may have at home, one of the best programs is Wen Software’s “Wine Library 1.0”. This is a very basic program with a simple interface, but it is capable of managing your wine collection quite nicely for about $35.00. Users most have MS Access to run this program and if you’re familiar with Access then it will be all the easier for you. With Wine Library 1.0 you can create detailed listings for each wine in your collection, including information about country of origin, region, and information as it relates to your own personal rating system. The html formatting is simple, which makes it easy to post your wine collection info on the web and all of your lists can be broken down into categories that you designate for printing. This is by no means complex software, but for the basic user it can be a handy organization tool and will allow you to share your cellar information with other wine lovers on various websites (or your own). While some of the more involved software is more expensive and detailed, this should suit the home user perfectly. Keep in mind; if you don’t have MS Access, you will not be able to use this software. For a slightly less expensive alternative to the Wine Library 1.0 (that doesn’t rely on any particular program such as MS Access) you may find that Graphicalic’s “Perfect Wine 2.0” is a better option. This software collects, collates, and stores much the same amount and type of data as the Wine Library 1.0, and comes with its own rating system to help you if you’re having trouble creating one of your own. I would say that searching your database with this program is much easier since the categories can be more narrowly pared down. Another exciting feature is the linking system, which can directly import reviews and articles of a selected wine into its area in the database as well as add a picture. This program costs less than Wine Library (it’s around $28.00) and can operate independently and efficiently on any Windows-based system. The only drawback to this program is that it tends to limit your fields so you feel like you’re cramming in too much info into one small space. Also, this is a less user-friendly program than Wine Library in the sense that it’s difficult to begin using the program right away. While it’s an excellent tool once you get used to it, be sure to take advantage of the free trial to make sure you’ll be able to get used to it. Overall, I would recommend this wine software over Wine Library, but it’s a very close call and I encourage you to give both free trials a “test-drive” before you commit. Here’s some great news for Mac users: Two of the best wine organizing programs are for you alone (to heck with Windows, eh?). Root Solutions Software’s “Virtual Wine Cellar 4.01” and Edwin Buehler’s (of wine-software.net) “Wine XT”. How I wish these were made for Windows too! These programs offer very similar features for large wine cellars as well as those with smaller wine businesses. Some of the features of both products include; basic input fields for categories such as rating, region, origin, price, taste, vineyard, etc., as well as tools for managing dealer and customer information. Despite these across-the-board similarities, Virtual Wine Cellar is only $20.00 whereas Wine XT is 50.00. These prices seem a bit backwards because the cheaper one offers you the opportunity to put barcodes on bottles as well as a simple online ordering database that is constantly updated. While I would say that the Wine XT is a little more concise, user-wise, it doesn’t offer any of the expanded features of the Virtual Wine Cellar, but, if anything, it is a flashier-looking program—more so than the no-nonsense database-looking interface of the Virtual Wine Cellar. Again, both of these products offer free trials and the only way to tell which is right is by sacrificing the tiny amount of disk-space and a few minutes of your time. Don’t forget: these two are for Mac users only. For a top of the line wine management tool, you must check out Primasoft’s “Wine Organizer Deluxe 2.2”. Although the cost is a bit higher than the others I’ve mentioned (it sells for $65.00) I think it is a premium wine organizer both for home and small business users. It is by far the easiest to maneuver and you have options about how to view your data. Unlike a few of the other programs I’ve mentioned (Virtual Wine Cellar, for example) it is not difficult to change your data once its been entered. You can create documents by category that simple to print and look very professional and also (my favorite) you can create cool labels with all the information you need placed right on them. They have a number of templates that are useful for business owners and if desired, can serve as alternate invoices (with detailed descriptions of the wine purchased) and for the home user, these same templates can be used to publish professional-looking wine data to the web. This is a great program for all users—from serious collectors with extensive collection to those just getting started with a small cellar. Very little computer know-how is required since most everything is automated and explained and they offer a free trial so you can see what you think before purchasing. While $65.00 might sound like a lot to spend for small collections, keep in mind that your wine list will continue to grow over the years (unless, of course, you keep drinking what you claimed you’d start collecting). For wine hobbyists and dealers alike, there is wine cellar organizing software at the tip of your fingertips. So, throw away the moldy dusty logbooks with illegible scrawlings obscured by Burgundy-stains and update your methods. For under $100, it’s almost impossible to go wrong.