Wine Tripper iPhone app (BC Edition) first look

Wine Tripper (BC Edition): How about packing around BC wine data around in your pocket? Click for larger image

We got a note from the developer of Wine Tripper, a pretty cool iPhone app priced at a very reasonable $2.99, and we were asked to check it out. I've not experienced too many of the several wine apps on the market, but Wine Tripper looks like a great tool for the BC wine traveler, or anyone who just happens to like BC wine.

The interface is very simple like most iPhone apps. You get three buttons to begin:

1. Region Map
2. Wineries
3. Your Wines

The Region Map is a straight up Google Map with push pins for every winery located within certain regions. My first look at a dense region full of wineries like Naramata showed that there were some newer spots missing – for example Ruby Tuesday winery which just opened next door to Red Rooster.

Also, for some reason Lang Vineyards winery is located in the heart of the town of Naramata, when it's actually up the hill somewhat. Perhaps they have a P.O. Box address at the town post office? I'm sure it's easily fixed, but it could prove confusing to travelers.

Keeping up with the numbers of small, and some excellent new wineries may be one of the tougher challenges for the developer. However, it's incumbent on the industry and the businesses themselves to make sure that their locations are well-known. Someday perhaps an open data system will be developed by Tourism BC, or the BC Wine Institute so marketers and developers can easily promote the industry.

The Wineries section I particularly love as the address and contact info is listed for each wine destination, as well as operating hours and months of the year they're open. This will be very handy, especially for people visiting during off-peak seasons.

The Wine Info section is essentially a wine database that you will begin to build and manage yourself. I only just quickly entered some info on one varietal, and I found it incredibly convenient. You can choose from a scrolling menu of wineries, all listed alphabetically. Then you can choose whether it's a red or white, and the varietal.

Here's where I got a bit stumped, and found a couple of missing details.

First, I'm asked to put something in the "name" field for the wine. Sounds easy, but remember I've already chosen the year, varietal and the winery. That's all many wines have for names. Some have additional names such as the vineyard, or if it is a blend, or whether it's a reserve label. But most don't. Therefore I'm stuck having to type in the name before I can save the data.

Also, there is only a category for red and white. I might have missed something, but there are so many amazing rosé wines in BC today it seems like an oversight. Also, there are some wineries that are not open for tastings, such as Joie Farm. As a result this winery is not listed in the database. If you like Joie Farm – and it's a very popular label in BC – then you're stuck.

What I'm not clear on at this point is whether there might be some way to share this data. Especially if you take the time to make notes and rate a wine, it would be amazing if you could trade/share with other users of the app! We have an online wine database at home that Stacey manages for us, and I can imagine how great someday it will be to be able to sync that kind of data across between the internet and my phone.

If there was a wish list item or two I had for this app it might be these. First, the ability to list and rate wine sellers – everything from government liquore stores to independent wine and VQA shops. Second, and I know I'm pushing things a bit here, I'd really like to do some wine traveling in Washington state someday. I know that our neighbours are creating some great wine, and the thought of doing a bit of travel down there would be greatly enhanced by a tool like this.

All these things considered, it's a really welcome application that I'll enjoy using at home and out on the road. I look forward to updates of Wine Tripper in upcoming iterations – so BC wine lovers with iPhones, be sure to purchase the Wine Tripper BC Edition!