Wine Journal vs Cellar Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Wine Journal
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A wine journal for every bottle you taste. Log the wine, the vintage, the region and your score in under a minute — then find that bottle again months later, when you are standing in front of a wall of labels and cannot remember which one you loved. Most people track wine in a photo roll full of unreadable labels or a notes app they never reopen. WineLog gives each bottle a real record — producer, vintage, wine type, region, country, price, tasting notes, food pairings and a 1-5 score — plus a cellar that separates what you still have, what you want to buy, and what you have already drunk. Everything is stored on your device, so your journal opens instantly and works with no signal at all. WHAT YOU GET - A searchable tasting journal you can filter by wine type or favorites, so any bottle is two taps away - A cellar view that splits your bottles into In Cellar, Wishlist and Drunk, so you know what to open and what to buy - Charts of your own palate: bottles by type, average score per type, tastings over the last 6 months, and a breakdown by country - A label photo saved with each entry, so you recognise the bottle on the shelf instead of guessing - A Discover section with 8 food pairing guides and 8 classic regions — Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa Valley, Tuscany, Champagne, Rioja, Mosel, Mendoza — and their key varietals - Somm, a built-in wine advisor that answers questions on pairings, regions, varietals and tasting terms with no internet connection PERFECT FOR - Wine drinkers who keep buying the same forgettable bottle because they never wrote the good one down - Collectors who need to know what is in the rack and what is still on the wishlist - Restaurant and tasting-room regulars who want notes captured at the table, not later - Anyone learning wine who wants pairing and region reference in the same app as their own notes WHY NOT JUST USE A NOTES APP A note is text you have to read back. WineLog is structured: because every entry carries a type, a score, a country and a date, the app can show you that you rate Rioja higher than Napa, that you drink more white in summer, and which vintage you scored a 5. A notes app cannot do that, and it cannot tell you what is left in your cellar. PRIVACY Every tasting, photo and note stays on your iPhone. No account, no sign-up, no ads, no tracking, no third-party analytics. This is your personal wine diary, not a marketplace. FULL ACCESS Full access unlocks unlimited tastings, ratings, notes and label photos, the complete cellar and wishlist, palate insights and charts, the pairing and region library, and Somm — available as a weekly plan, a yearly plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. The lifetime option is a single payment and does not renew. Please enjoy wine responsibly. Intended for users of legal drinking age. Open the app the next time a bottle impresses you and log it before the glass is empty. Terms of Use (EULA): https://web-levi.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://web-levi.web.app/privacy-policy Questions? tphuc.work@gmail.com
Cellar Notes
A private, structured wine tasting journal to practice sensory assessment and remember every wine. Features a guided flow for recording appearance, aroma, palate, and conclusion, with options for blind tasting and offline use. Search and filter past tastings for a useful history.
- Structured tasting journal
- Guided sensory assessment flow
- Blind tasting option
- Offline functionality
- Searchable tasting history
- Private and ad-free
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Taste with intention. Keep what you learn. Cellar Notes is a private, structured wine tasting journal for people who want to practice sensory assessment and remember every wine they try. A focused guided flow moves from appearance through nose, palate, and conclusion without turning the experience into a dense form. STRUCTURED, NOT OVERWHELMING Record appearance, aroma, structure, flavor, finish, quality, readiness, confidence, enjoyment, and whether you would buy the wine again. Grouped tasting vocabulary, search, and custom descriptors keep common choices quick while leaving room for your own words. TASTE BLIND Hide the wine’s identity while you assess it, then reveal and add the bottle details at the end—or keep the entry as a blind record. NEVER LOSE YOUR PLACE Progress is saved as a clearly marked draft. Leave a tasting, return later, and resume from the same section. A USEFUL HISTORY Search completed tastings by wine, producer, grape, country, or region. Filter by category, rating, and buy-again decision, then sort by date, rating, or name. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No social feed. No analytics. No advertising. Your records and selected bottle photos are stored locally, and the complete tasting workflow works offline. Cellar Notes is an independent journal using general sensory-assessment concepts. It is not official, approved, certified, or affiliated with any educational body.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cellar Notes at none against Wine Journal's 2. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Wine Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Cellar Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Wine Journal | Cellar Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Phuc Pham | Creatix, LLC |
In-app purchases
Wine Journal
- Weekly$9.997 Days
- Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year
Cellar Notes
No in-app purchases









