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Vivino vs Delectable: Which Wine App is For You?

Vivino vs Delectable: Which Wine App is For You?

The Main Differences Between Vivino vs Delectable

The main differences between Vivino vs Delectable are:

  • Vivino has the ‘world’s largest’ selection of wine, whereas Delectable focuses on featured wine from around the world
  • Vivino offers wine recommendations based on customer reviews, whereas Delectable also leans heavily on professional reviews
  • Vivino offers mostly quite affordable wine, whereas Delectable has a heavier focus on features

Wine delivery and subscription services have been on the rise for a while now–but it’s the global pandemic that’s truly accelerated the rise of wine apps. Despite fears of how the pandemic would impact the wine industry, not all growers, and distributors are suffering. The Oregon wine industry is “flourishing”, boasting ‘double-digit’ growth, thanks in part to technological innovations like wine apps like Vivino and Delectable.

But what’s behind these wine apps, and are they really worth your time–or just a current fad?

In this review, I’ll compare Vivino vs Delectable and tell you what you need to know about terms of service, the wine they offer, and which one is the better bet for getting wine delivered to your home.

What is a Wine App vs Wine Subscription vs Wine Delivery Service?

Wine Subscriptions

Wine subscriptions are, in many ways, the closest you can get to a typical wine experience without shopping in-store. Popular wine subscriptions include The California Wine Club; Winc; Bright Cellars; First Leaf and Wine of the Month Club, among many others.

The idea of a wine subscription is simple: the customer receives a regular shipment, normally monthly, of wine bottles, and usually pays per several months or monthly. These subscriptions are often pre-determined collections, but some offer customization options or even let you create your own cases.

Pros and Cons

I like wine subscriptions best for gifting, and also for someone who may not be as familiar with wine and wants to get an introduction. Wine subscriptions I find are also the easiest to deal with: you can select a subscription that will ship without you having to do much except sign when it comes.

However, wine subscriptions do tend to either be a bit costly or, conversely, may not offer as fine of wine as some would like. I also don’t love them for people who simply don’t drink wine regularly.

Wine Delivery Services

Wine delivery services have a similar idea with subscriptions, offering convenience and perhaps a wider selection than a local grocery store.

While some wine delivery services also offer subscriptions, the most well-known delivery services, like Total Wine, Drizly, and Winc work more like online marketplaces: you can shop a catalog of wines, put them in your cart, and have them either delivered to your house or picked up at a store they have connections with.

Pros and Cons

My favorite reason for using wine delivery services is for the occasional order. I like the non-commitment flexibility and convenience; fairly competitive price point; and, for the best wine delivery services, the wider selection of choices is also welcome.

Wine delivery services, of course, are not, in some ways, as convenient as a subscription, and not as good of an option for anyone not sure what they want. I also tend to find the experience not altogether more intuitive than regular shopping.

Wine Apps

Wine apps are a bit newer for me, and they certainly pose an interesting alternative to wine subscriptions and wine delivery services.

Wine apps essentially tackle innovation, flexibility, and availability but most closely mirror wine delivery services. The main difference is that these apps are perfect for on the go and do tend to offer more advanced search and rating features than a simple wine delivery service.

Pros and Cons

In general, I think the best wine apps offer a great compromise between subscriptions and delivery services. I like having less commitment, but also more say in what wines are recommended, and just a little bit of guidance.

Of course, wine apps like Vivino and Delectable are not perfect–they don’t really work for gifting; they aren’t necessarily cheaper to use than typical delivery; and you don’t get the extras or sense of community you sometimes get with a subscription.

Vivino vs Delectable: Compared

Now that I’ve discussed the differences, and my pros and cons, between wine subscriptions vs wine delivery services vs wine apps, I’ll tell you how wine apps Vivino and Delectable compare, getting past the original appeal to recommend which, if either one, you should try.

What devices can you use Vivino and Delectable on?

First things first. Vivino and Delectable are both downloadable apps, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. You can use Vivino and Delectable on most IOS and Android mobile devices, so long as they are reasonably updated.

What’s the main idea behind Vivino vs Delectable?

Of course, since Vivino and Delectable are both wine apps, the main concept is not altogether that different: selection, availability, and all at your fingertips. Still, the marketing and focus for Vivino vs Delectable is slightly different.

Vivino

Vivino describes itself as both a community and a discovery tool. I noticed immediately that the marketing really focused on the sheer volume of wines you’ll have access to as well as selective tools to ‘discover’ wine for what otherwise might be an overwhelming selection. Above all, the ‘Taste Profile’ feature is touted as a way to sort through and select wine from a large marketplace.

However, I should note that, with Vivino, you also have a traditional marketplace that you don’t have to use an app for, and it’s fairly easy to navigate.

Delectable

Delectable also touts one feature-in this case, ‘Scan and Rate.’ While much of the marketing around Vivino seems focused on curated selection through the community, the scan, and rate, while more or less a similar Idea, really emphasizes how easy the app is to use as an individual. Perks, like a wine Journal and different versions, take a more fit-you approach and empnasìze community a little less.

My Takeaway

Vivino and Delectable more or less are trying to achieve the same thing but I did feel a strong difference in terms of focus. Vivino seems more interested in exploring wine by contributing to a community; Delectable puts more emphasis on catering to you. Neither especially turned me off or appealed to me-lt was time to dig deeper.

What wine, exactly, can you buy from Vivino vs Delectable? Of all the categories, this is where I noticed, compared, how different the two wine apps were.

How do the main features of Vivino vs Delectable compare?

Since both Vivino and Delectable are arguably trying to cater to a similar need, I wanted to take a look at how the main features are used, and what they had to offer for easy and personalized wine selection.

Label Scanning

One of my favorite features of beth Vivino and Delectable wine apps is the option to scan a bottle of wine that’s perfect for someone like me who appreciates being able to find similar wine or quick wine info based upon what I already know I love.

Delectable

Delectable label scanning is pretty easy to use. Snap a photo of the label and the app provides ratings and a description of that wine. Technically they are ‘unbiased’ reviews. While that is interesting, I don’t know in the long run if I care as much about how others rate a wine I already know that I love. But it’s an easy option to quickly find where to buy.

Vivino

Vivino Is also easy to use. As with Delectable, you snap a photo of a wine label. You’ll be provided ratings, a description, and places you can buy that wine, both stores, and restaurants. There’s not anything especially notable.

My Takeaway

Both Vivino and Delectable offer easy label scanning but I don’t see a huge advantage for one wine app over the other.

Favoriting

Favorlting, of course, is a way to keep track of the wine you’ve tried and loved-the ability to log wine Keeps things organized.

Vivino

Vivino allows you to track all wine you’ve tried, and you’ll also be able to quickly see not only your personal rating but also when you tried it, with an option for personal notes. An extra tracking feature I appreciated was the ‘virtual wine cellar’ which essentially gives you the option to catalog what wine you currently have on hand.

Delectable

Delectable has similar features, but with a bit of a twist. You can track wine using a wine Journal-this is where you rate. favorite, and add any notes you want. But ‘Nhat stood apart for me was the seamless integration between tracking and sharing, with easy options for tagging locations and people and directly recommending to others.

My Takeaway

For tracking and favorites. there are pros and cons. I do love the ability to keep track of wine I already have v.~th Vivino, but a111n one Sharing options give Delectable a tiny edge.

Discovering New Wine

Of course, one of the biggest draws for a wine app, at least for me, is the ability to discover new wine and get recommendations. In many ways, a wine app is great for that. and a quicker to easy resource than your typical wine subscription or delivery service.

Vivino

Vivino Is true to its marketing, community-driven. Every wine you take a look at has a host of ratings and reviews; ln fact, lt Is possibly the largest selection of community ratings. The quick compare option. meanwhile, means you can take a look at similar wine and sort by ratings, price point, and even region.

Based upon your ratings, you get quick recommendations. ln this way, Vivino really does work through its community, and the more you rate, the more you get out of the app.

Delectable

Delectable, as a wine app, also helps you discover new wine-but how is a bit different While the wine recommendations from Vivino come from customer reviews and preferences. the wine selection through Delectable relies more on professional reviews. You have the option to follow professionals, including winemakers and sommeliers. ‘Expert opinions provide recommendations.

My Takeaway

Both Delectable and Vivino offer ways to find new wine, and certainly, these wine apps were a nice break from trying to find a wine on my own. I’m a little tom-on one hand, some may prefer the expert opinions, but I found that Vivlno·s sheer number and easy connection to customer ratings made it easier to find not Just a ‘good’ wine but one that I’m more interested in.

Delivery and Ordering

Of course, I wanted to see just how easy it was to use the two wine apps for finding where to buy wine, and how delivery and orders worked.

Delectable

Delectable allows you to select and directly buy from the app. They do. for the most part, offer delivery to your home (so long as it’s permitted by state law). They do have a basic customer email for support.

Vivino

Vivino works much the same way-but also provides an option to shop via their website. ln addition. they have a customer service line should any problems arise.

My Takeaway

Vivino has the edge here, mostly because of its additional support.

Wine Selection

Delectable

Delectable has a smaller catalog of wine, but well organized on their supporting web page. However, the wine itself is ln specific categories and often from featured vineyards and specific regions; you’ll find everything from Burgundy Pinot Noir to Champagne to South Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. While there are fewer wine options. the specificity and wide range really pleased me. I also love the weekly features.

Notable Wines-My Picks

Carpineto Riserva Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2016:

This Sangiovese Blend and featured wine is bold, flavorful. and lush. The interplay of plum and cherries with spicy licorice is well rounded with mocha and complex structure.

Sybarite Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Sauvignon Blanc with a plucky burst of citrus, floral, and bright fruit notes; this wine also has a bit of grassiness with enough acidity to make it feel fresh, not sharp.

Blauburgunder Pinot Nero Meczan 2018

An affordable Italian wine, packing peppery notes against bright red berries and a balance of fruity notes with refined tannins. This wine is both pleasing and accessible.

Vivino

Vivino has an enormous catalog of wine, and in some ways, I veered back between being impressed and maybe a little overwhelmed. The stats alone tell you: Vivino offers 11.9 million wines at any time. with 220,000 wineries and an evolving catalog.

There’s, as you might imagine, wine from just about everywhere, but also wine based upon food pairings, regions. and more. A little less heavy on wine features, Vivino has ample stock, though it certainly seems to skew more towards affordable wines, at least on the surface.

Notable Wines-My Picks

Reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019

This budget-friendly Sauvignon Blanc features crisp passion and other tropical fruit notes. with playful floral notes and just a hint of vanilla for a refreshing wine.

El Enemigo Cabernet Franc 2016

Cabernet Franc from Argentina offers an affordable v-ray to enjoy a smooth finish, peppered with notes or sconce, leather, and oak. Dark berry flavors are rounded without being overpowering.

Château Léoube Sparkling de Léoube Rosé N.V

This celebratory French sparkling wine pleases with notes of stone fruit and pears. A fine minerally is accompanied by an almost creamy finish, which makes it a great pairing for desserts and cheese trays.

Customer Reviews

To finish my review of Vivino vs Delectable, I wanted to see what customers thought-and if they had similar impressions as mine.

Vivino

The Vivino App has a 4.5/5 star rating on Google Play, with over 141,000 ratings, and a very heavy skew towards five stars vs low ratings. Most felt the app was very easy to use and helpful for finding wine they love. There have been a few technical issues with individual wines.

Delectable

The Delectable App has a 4.2/5 star rating on Google Play, with just under 5,500 reviews. and a decent skew towards higher ratings. The users found it helpful for finding wine and storing ideas but were turned off some by dally notifications and some glitches.

My Takeaway

It’s clear that Vivino has more customer ratings, and, though Delectable ratings are fairly favorable, Vivino had far fewer complaints.

FAQs

How do you use a wine app?

To use a wine app like Vivino or Delectable, you’ll scan wine labels, rate wines, browse recommendations, and can tap to buy or learn more, such as descriptions, price, regions, and even food pairings in some cases.

Where do you buy a wine app?

Most wine apps can be purchased from the Google Play and Apple Store, and are available to both Android and IOS. These apps serve as an alternative to wine subscription services.

How much does Vivino vs Delectable cost?

Cost, of course, is always a factor. With a wine subscription service, I’d typically look at the monthly costs, or average cost per bottle, as well as add ons like delivery fees. Both apps themselves are free to use and download. Both have a wide range of wine, and thus, how much you pay will depend on largely what you order, and where it’s ordered.

Final Decision: Download the Vivino App

While both Delectable and Vivino offer perks and can be quite helpful for buying and discovering new wine, my vote goes to Vivino. Not only does Vivino have a larger wine selection; it is also all around a bit more user friendly. I really like the tracking options, easy recommendations, and community rating system.

Where to Buy: Download on Google Play or the Apple Store

Further read: