The Wine Navigator

The Wine Navigator Review

by on March 10, 2011

A handy app for when your interest peaks above whatever’s on special offer, Wine Navigator is a simple exploring and pairing tool for people who unashamedly know nothing about wine.

The “Food > Wine” and “Wine > Food” sections are the pairing tools. Open the first and it offers up a list of food categories (cheese, fish, game etc.) or a separate list of more specific choices (Camembert, Salmon Carpaccio, Guinea Fowl etc.). Tapping an option brings up a second list of wines and grape types to compliment the selected foodstuff, and picking a tipple off the list takes you to a wine page with tasting notes, recommended serving temperature and some background info about the grapes that comprise it. The “Wine > Food” option is the same as above, but with wines as the starting point rather than the food you’re hoping to pair them with.

The app also has a “Will I Like This?” section, which is an easy way to find wines similar to those you already know you like. For instance, select the Grenache grape from the list and the app will reccomend a dozen or so other similiar reds from around the world that are similar, making branching out and picking out new bottles less of a crapshoot. Confusingly, however, the list mixes grape types with wine names (listing both the Nebbiolo grape and the Barolo wine, for example) in the results, which makes the list more cluttered than it need be.

If you’ve been drinking the same bottle of old faithful since you bought your first corkscrew, or looking to pair food and wine without the expensive month-long course in Tuscany, splash cash on The Wine Navigator.

Download this app: The Wine Navigator for iPhone

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