# Wine Scanner & Expert Reviews — Natalie MacLean’s Pro Ratings

> Scan wine labels for expert reviews, ratings, and food pairings. (iPhone/iPad app by Natalie McLean.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wine-scanner-and-expert-reviews/id353052386 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Natalie McLean](https://appshunter.io/developer/318967156)
- Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle
- Price: Free
- Rating: 1.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 125 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 9.3 · 76 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-02-01
- Data updated: 2026-07-19
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wine-scanner-and-expert-reviews/id353052386/reviews.md

## What is Wine Scanner & Expert Reviews?

Named Top Wine App by New York Times, Washington Post, iPhone Life Magazine
 
Want to buy a great wine recommended by the World's Best Wine Writer? Get the only Wine App with built-in label and barcode scanners to instantly access expert wine reviews.
 
Natalie MacLean, World Food Media Awards winner, is your best friend when you’re shopping for wine, dining at restaurants or entertaining with friends.
 
Like a sommelier in your pocket, she's there with you to help choose the right wine at the right price every time.

 
Just point your camera at the front label or back barcode of any wine to get:
 
•	Easy access professional, jargon-free wine reviews you can trust
•	Instant search and sorting of 270,000 expert wine ratings 
•	Delicious new food pairings for every style of wine
•	Quick recall of your favorite wines in My Cellar, the app's cellar tracker software
•	Fast way to add photos, labels and your own notes to My Cellar 
•	Proven tips for buying the best wines in:

Sherry-Lehmann, Morrell, Binny’s, Sam’s Wine, Wally’s Wine & Spirits, Costco and thousands of other liquor stores


Bonus Features:

•	Custom Shopping Lists you can sort by region, style, price
•	Helpful alerts when the wines you like are back in stores with a new vintage
•	Exclusive access Natalie’s top wines for special occasions, gift-giving and dinner parties
•	Effortless ways to share your favorite wines on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram 
•	Fun approach to discover what your friends are drinking
•	Hundreds of entertaining wine videos and insider interviews with winemakers


 For Natalie's free wine tips: 


 
NatalieMacLean.com


 
Twitter.com/NatalieMacLean

Facebook.com/NatDecants 

Instagram.com/NatalieMacLeanWine

 
 
Note from Nat …


 
Howdy Wine Lovers,


 
I'm not able to address issues posted here, so please e-mail me if you have a feature to suggest or there's a bug to fix: natdecants@nataliemaclean.com

.



The new label scanner will improve with your help in adding new wines and labels. Let's make this app even better together!

This is a labor of love for me as a journalist: it has cost me personally more than $100,000 to create and keep updating this app ... so please be kind and patient ;)
 
Cheers, 

Natalie
 

P.S. Please upgrade your smartphone to Apple's most recent operating system (iOS) to optimize app performance. It's free to do this: apple.com/ios


 
 
Natalie MacLean is an independent journalist and author of the bestselling books "Red, White and Drunk All Over" and "Unquenchable" both published by Random House. She has won six International Association of Culinary Professional (IACP) awards and four James Beard Journalism Awards, including the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. 


 

Video tips to get the most from the app: 


 
nataliemaclean.com/mobileapp

## Key features

- Label and barcode scanner
- Expert wine reviews
- 270,000+ wine ratings
- Food pairing suggestions
- Personal cellar tracker
- Customizable shopping lists
- Wine alerts for new vintages

## What do users think of Wine Scanner & Expert Reviews?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Expert wine reviews from Natalie MacLean
- 🔍 Label scanner and barcode scanning functionality
- 📍 Store inventory integration with LCBO and SAQ
- 🍷 Food and wine pairing suggestions
- 💾 Wine cellar tracking feature
- 🛒 Shopping cart and wishlist functionality
- 📱 User-friendly interface design
- 🌍 Comprehensive wine database
- ⚡ Fast app performance
- 📋 Recipe recommendations with wine pairings

**Cons**

- 🐛 Unreliable barcode and label scanning
- 🔍 Incomplete wine database with missing common bottles
- 💰 Misleading free-to-play model with required subscription
- 🍁 Ontario-centric bias in wine selection
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- 🔄 Inconsistent search functionality
- ⚠️ Incorrect wine identification and details
- 🔐 Password and login issues
- 📧 Persistent unwanted email subscriptions
- 🗺️ Limited geographic coverage outside Canada

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Label scanner fails to recognize wines consistently
- Barcode scanning doesn't work reliably
- App crashes when updating wines in cellar
- Reviews section fails to load
- App freezes and requires restart
- Cannot navigate back without returning to main menu
- Password acceptance issues
- Incorrect wine identification (wrong varietal or bottle size)
- Unsubscribe requests not honored
- Camera scan only works for first scan then fails

**Most requested features**

- Improved barcode and label scanning accuracy
- Expanded wine database coverage
- Better search functionality with advanced filters
- User location settings for accurate pricing
- Support for more wine regions and producers
- Better navigation within app sections
- Dark mode option
- Expanded coverage for US wines and wineries
- More detailed and longer wine reviews
- Improved app stability and performance

## Recent user reviews (10 of 125)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wine-scanner-and-expert-reviews/id353052386/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Most functions don’t work well

*2023-01-29, version 4.0.5*

Doesn’t scan more than one wine in 5. Search is missing lots of wines that I’ve bought recently in Vintages in LCBO. Not really sure what the point is if it can’t do these basics.

### 1/5 — Poor selection of items

*2022-12-27, version 4.0.5*

Very poor selection of items. Numerous bottles, not one found.

### 2/5 — une bouteille sur 1 scan

*2021-12-23, version 4.0.5*

perte de temps , seulement 1 bouteille sur 5 scan , tout mes produits sont de la SAQ , l’app comporte des glitchs , l’app se referme continuellement. par contre l’interface est bien fait par rapport à d’autres apps …

### 4/5 — Wonderful-for Ontarians.

*2021-06-03, version 4.0.5*

First things first: Natalie is a phenomenal taster. I’ve never bought a high rated bottle that didn’t deserve the accolade. It is true, though, that you have to pay an annual subscription of about $30 to get much out of it. 

 More annoying is the heavy Ontario-centric basis of the app. Most of the top rosés are from Niagara, but BCL doesn’t sell ANYTHING from Ontario. The prices, too, are from LCBO (ie cheaper than BC) even though the BCL prices are online and the app knows where I am. Okanagan wines are under-represented, presumably because Natalie doesn’t encounter them in Ontario. 

EDIT: I don’t know if the search function has been improved or I just missed it before, but you can search by varietal, country, etc. The label scanner is rubbish, as others have said, so that option seldom works. Using Top 10 plus the search function gets you where you need to go most of the time though.

### 2/5 — Buggy

*2021-03-06, version 4.0.5*

Very buggy app. Camera scan great for the first scan, then doesn’t work after the first scan. It often get the wine wrong.

### 1/5 — Disappointed - used to be good

*2021-02-14, version 4.0.5*

She clearly is an expert in her field. But the app hasn’t been upgraded in years. adverts of “best wine app” must be really outdated... 
I lost all my saved info. And you can’t set your location (so prices and shopping suggestions are pointless). Website looks like it has potential, but I want an app.

### 5/5 — Great app

*2020-12-07, version 4.0.5*

Great app. When paired with subscription to monthly wine reviews (Cheap!) this is fantastic for purchasing good wines at prices at local liquor store. Love the shopping cart feature. I can show the bottle or LCBO # to store employees to find my wines quickly.

### 2/5 — Crashes

*2020-07-14, version 4.0.5*

As much as I’d like to love this app, it crashes every time I try to update a wine I’ve scanned.

### 1/5 — Deceptive

*2020-01-29, version 4.0.5*

If you want the score of a wine it says you need to register to become part of the community it’s free..... so you join only to find out it’s not free, free trial but then pay. Not sure how they got around apples policy as it does not say in app purchases in the store.

### 1/5 — Very limited

*2020-01-23, version 4.0.5*

Upon downloading I liked the look of the app but.... First two bottles I scanned could not be found. Searched a well known Australian brand by name and a very poor selection of their wines was represented. Just no point going further with this app.

## Frequently asked questions about Wine Scanner & Expert Reviews

### What does this wine app do?

This app allows you to scan wine labels or barcodes to instantly access professional, jargon-free wine reviews and over 270,000 expert wine ratings. It also provides food pairing suggestions, helps you track your wine cellar, and offers personalized recommendations from a world-renowned wine expert.

### What are the key features of the wine scanner app?

Key features include a built-in label and barcode scanner, access to expert wine reviews and ratings, food pairing recommendations, a personal cellar tracker to log your wines with notes and photos, and customizable shopping lists. It also offers alerts for new vintages and exclusive tips from the app's expert.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the app is free to download and use. The developer mentions it is a labor of love and has personally invested significant resources into its creation and ongoing updates, encouraging users to be patient and kind.

### What kind of wines can I get reviews for?

The app provides access to reviews and ratings for a vast selection of wines, with over 270,000 expert wine ratings available. It is designed to help you choose the right wine at the right price in various retail environments, including major liquor stores.

### How does the cellar tracker feature work?

The 'My Cellar' feature allows you to quickly recall your favorite wines. You can add photos, labels, and your own personal notes to each wine you've logged, effectively creating a digital inventory of your wine collection.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0.5 — 2018-11-06

Small changes and bug fixes. Vuforia library update.

### 4.0.4 — 2018-01-30

- iOS 11 and iPhone X support.

### 4.0.3 — 2017-02-02

- bug fix to prevent crashes when loading certain images

### 4.0.2 — 2017-01-30

- faster and more accurate scanning of bar codes and front labels
- bug fixes in the virtual cellar
- save favourites, searches and shopping lists

### 4.0.1 — 2016-09-23

Improved label scanner
My Cellar bug fixes
Easier navigation

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## More apps by Natalie McLean

- [Unreserved Wine Talk App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unreserved-wine-talk-app/id1467311764)

All apps by Natalie McLean: https://appshunter.io/developer/318967156

## Related topics

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-19.*