‘WineStein’ Mobile App Review

While just about all alcoholic drinks taste the same after enough chugging, there’s something to be said for sipping on just the right fine wine as you pair it with a classy meal.

Well, maybe not. But there’s definitely something to be said for the ability to fake your way into knowing which wines go with which meals, in order to make yourself look good on dates and at high-class work functions.

One option is to stare at charts and flash cards until you memorize them, or you could just rely on WineStein, a free iOS app, which is there to rescue you.

While the app doesn’t know everything, it knows far more than we do about which wines go with which dishes. The searchable, matchable database lets you start out with specific brands of wine, suggesting meals it will go with, or turn things around and type in exactly what you ordered.

Instead of saying, “Uh, can I get a white whine?” you can specifically request, say a Merry Edwards Pinot Noir to go with your smoked salmon bruschetta.

The interface is a little on the clunky side, and it’s mildly irritating how long it takes the app to load its responses. We suspect the reason the app is free is that it’s channeling directly to a WineStein server to pull up its info, which renders it sort of useless if you’re toting around a WiFi-only iPad or iPod Touch while out and about.

In some cases, a quick Google search might be more effective than jumping through WineStein’s cumbersome hoops. But you sure can’t beat the app’s price.

RATING: 8/10

WineStein (Free), available on iOS devices, was published by WineWineWine. We messed around with the app for an hour on an iPod Touch.