Nirvino has reached the coveted #1 spot on iTunes for it’s category. Nirvino is a wine app (which pairs nicely with many food apps) that brings you over one million wine descriptions, pictures, and ratings. Whether you are in a restaurant looking at an $800 bottle of Cabernet, or in the grocery store looking at an $8 of Chardonnay, you will find Nirvino to be a reliable source to help you gauge if that really is the wine for you.

I began my wine expedition at a Trader Joe’s. Upon my first search, I found my wine quickly by typing in the winery and year, although it wasn’t first on the list. This led me to realize that with the massive database that Nirvino holds,  I may need to be a bit more specific if I want to find the exact bottle in my hand.

The most exciting part of the app is the search (which frankly is all there is, so it’s a good thing it excites me so). I was able to search for anything and receive a large list sorted by either highest rating, highest price, or lowest price. Unless you have inputted many details from your wine, my experience is to avoid the lowest price option as mostly they were, well, low priced wines – many boxes, under $3 wines. Granted that was for a search for “cabernet” which could use a bit more attention to detail.

At Trader Joe’s, I am a fan of their wine aisle, but some wines don’t have any discriptions of taste and pairings. I searched for 2005 Grand Vin Bordeaux Blend as it was reasonably priced and found it had a five star rating from 173 ratings. I felt like I’d uncovered a hidden goldmine. There are wines that are over $500 that don’t get a five star rating (could it be because their consumers have a higher expectation for their vino?). I was in nirvana and wanted to buy the whole case, but quickly realized that I had yet to try to wine, which is the whole point. I bought it and refused the bag as I would be drinking it there.

Some people have no sense of sarcasm, so I took the bag and was watched to my car (not officially, but I could feel the glare). The Flavor Profile of my selected wine is quite extensive, and I wondered if I would like a wine that tasted both of tobacco and raspberries. I found that subtle hints of many of the flavors fit and while I did not pair the wine with Indian food (as the suggested pairing preferred), I was happy to have it with my meal.

The Good

• Massive database of wines
• Quick load time
• Reliable – if you are out of service areas, you can still use it
• My Ratings section – to keep track of what you’ve tried

Changes I would like to see

• A predictive search feature
• Search results for my ignorance, er incorrectly spelled words

My only beef with this app is that when I searched for “cabermet” I came up with nothing. Yes, I’m aware that there is no Cabermet wine, but it’s a tiny keyboard and I wanted to challenge Nirvino. This time I won, but I’m sure that within a few updates this will be changed.

The Bottom Line

Whether you are a connoisseur or a novice, Nirvino makes choosing a wine easy. This reliable app is useful on the spot of your decision and cuts to the core of your immediate needs. Nirvino helped me determine which wine to buy, which seems to be it’s intent. I say go for the app, you never know when you may need the quick information on a date, at a dinner meeting, or  just to show your old friends how sophisticated you’ve become.