AboutWine vs CellarTracker
A simpler CellarTracker alternative for people who just want to remember
CellarTracker is a remarkable piece of software — the deepest cellar-tracking tool there is, trusted by collectors for decades. But most people don’t have a cellar. They have a shelf, a habit of forgetting what they liked, and no appetite for data entry. AboutWine is built for them, and it is honest about what that means: it is not an inventory system, and it never will be.
Last updated August 2026
Where CellarTracker shines
- Unmatched depth for serious collectors and multi-thousand-bottle cellars.
- Bin locations, quantities, purchase records and portfolio valuation.
- Community tasting notes and professional scores aggregated per wine.
- Decades of accumulated data and a web app you can use anywhere.
Where it leaves a gap
- Adding bottles means typing, and most casual drinkers stop after a week.
- The interface is powerful but dense for anyone who isn’t a collector.
- Little help with the everyday question of what a wine actually tastes like.
CellarTracker vs AboutWine, at a glance
| Feature | CellarTracker | AboutWine |
|---|---|---|
| Adding a bottle | Manual entry or barcode | Point the camera at the label |
| Inventory & quantities | Full inventory, bins, valuation | None — a list of bottles you liked |
| Understanding the wine | Community notes and scores | Taste gauges, aromas, grapes, pairings |
| Asking questions | Forums and notes | AI sommelier grounded in the catalog |
| Learning curve | Steep, built for collectors | One tap, built for everyone else |
| Best for | Managing a real cellar | Remembering what you drank and why |
Why people choose AboutWine
Scan the label instead of typing the label
The reason most people abandon cellar apps is data entry. In AboutWine a bottle joins your Collection from a photo and a tap on the heart — no forms, no fields, no evening spent catching up.
It explains the wine, not just records it
CellarTracker remembers what you own. AboutWine tells you what’s in the glass — sweetness, acidity, body, tannin, the aromas and the grapes — and lets you ask follow-up questions about it.
Notes you’ll actually write
A rating, a sentence, the date. Filter by what you’ve noted or what you’ve scanned, and the wine you loved last spring is one search away instead of one spreadsheet away.
If you own hundreds of bottles and need bin locations, quantities and valuation, CellarTracker is the specialist’s tool and AboutWine is not a replacement for it — we don’t track inventory at all. If your “cellar” is a rack in the kitchen and the real problem is forgetting what you liked, AboutWine solves that in a fraction of the effort.
Frequently asked questions
Can AboutWine track my wine inventory?
No. AboutWine keeps a Collection of bottles you save, rate and note, but it has no quantities, bin locations, purchase prices or valuation. For real inventory management, CellarTracker remains the better tool.
How do I add a bottle to AboutWine?
Point the camera at the label. The app identifies the wine and you tap the heart to save it, then add a rating and a note if you want. There is no manual entry form.
Is AboutWine free?
Yes. Scanning, the catalog, taste profiles, the Wine Atlas and your Collection are free, along with three AI sommelier questions a day. An optional subscription raises the sommelier to 50 questions a day.
