Frequently Asked Questions

The bottle scanner uses a vision AI model to read the front (and optionally back) label of a wine bottle. It extracts the producer, region, vintage, grape varietal, alcohol percentage, estimated price range, and tasting notes, and returns a confidence score so you know how reliable the result is. For best results, take a clear, well-lit photo straight-on with the full label visible.

Yes — the winery directory, bottle scanner, and editorial blog are all free to use without an account. The forthcoming iOS app will also include a free tier with the core scanner and journal features.

No account is required. Your favorite wineries are stored locally in your browser’s storage. When the iOS app launches, an optional free account will allow you to sync your tasting log across devices.

Identification accuracy on a clear, well-lit front label is typically very high for major producers. Every result includes a confidence score (0–100%) so you can judge how certain the scan is. Lower confidence usually means a small producer, a foreign label, or a photo that’s too dark, blurry, or off-angle. Retake the photo with the bottle held flat against the camera plane for the best results.

JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF. HEIC photos from iPhones are not currently supported — most iPhones can be configured to capture in JPEG via Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible, or you can export to JPEG from the Photos app before uploading. Each image must be 5 MB or smaller.

Our winery directory is sourced from a curated wine database that covers wineries across all 50 states. Location and varietal data are normalized so you can search and filter consistently. We focus on a representative spread of small and mid-sized producers in addition to the household names.

Yes — the search page supports filtering by U.S. state and free-text search by name. You can browse the directory here. Sub-region filters (specific AVAs like Napa Valley, Russian River, Willamette Valley) are coming with the iOS app.

Favorites are currently stored locally in your browser using localStorage. They will not sync between devices or browsers. The WineJoys iOS app will include free cloud sync across all your devices at launch.

WineJoys is currently a Progressive Web App that works on any modern browser including iOS Safari and Android Chrome. You can install it to your home screen for an app-like experience. A native iOS app is in development — see the About page for details.

The native iOS app is in active development with a planned launch in the coming months. Check the home page for announcements.

Old World refers to traditional European wine-producing countries (France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Austria, etc.). New World refers to everywhere else (USA, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa). The biggest practical difference: Old World wines lead with region on the label; New World wines usually lead with grape variety. See our full guide to reading wine labels for details.

Both are in California north of San Francisco. Napa is a single valley known for Cabernet Sauvignon and luxury tasting rooms. Sonoma is six times larger and produces a much wider style range — Pinot Noir and Chardonnay near the coast, Zinfandel and Cabernet inland. Sonoma is generally less expensive. See our full Napa vs Sonoma comparison.

The single most important principle: match the weight of the wine to the weight of the dish. Lighter food with lighter wines; heavier food with bigger wines. Acid matches acid; sweet matches sweet. For a full breakdown across every food category, see the ultimate wine pairing guide.

With a stopper or cork and refrigeration:

• Sparkling: 1–3 days with a sparkling-wine stopper.
• Light white & rosé: 3–5 days.
• Full white: 3–5 days.
• Light red: 2–3 days at cool room temperature or in the fridge.
• Full red: 3–5 days.
• Fortified wine (Port, Sherry, Madeira): weeks to months.

Wine prefers cool (50–60°F), stable temperatures, humidity around 70%, darkness, and gentle handling. Most homes are fine for short-term storage of bottles you’ll drink within a year. For longer-term aging of premium reds, a wine fridge or cellar is worth the investment. Store bottles on their side if they have natural cork closures so the cork stays moist.

ABV signals ripeness and body. Wines under 11% are typically light and often off-dry or sweet (Moscato, German Kabinett Riesling). 11.5–13% is classic European dry-wine territory. 13.5–14.5% is modern New World style (Napa Cabernet, oaked California Chardonnay). 15%+ is big, ripe, often warm-climate (Amarone, Zinfandel).

Sulfites are naturally produced in fermentation and are added in small amounts as a preservative. Only a small percentage of people have a true sulfite allergy. Headaches from wine are far more often caused by alcohol, dehydration, tannins, or histamines than sulfites. The “Contains sulfites” notice is mandatory on essentially every commercial wine over 10 ppm.

Four signals drive a wine’s value: producer + vintage (check Wine-Searcher.com for current market prices), storage history (heat damage destroys value), cork condition (low fill or stained capsule means the cork has failed), and classification (Grand Cru, DOCG, Reserva, etc.). Most bottles found in basements are worth $15–$50. For collector bottles (Bordeaux First Growths, top Napa Cabernets, vintage Champagne, Burgundy Grand Crus), use an auction house appraisal. Read the full bottle value guide.

Underrated U.S. wine regions worth exploring include Virginia’s Monticello AVA, Texas Hill Country, Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, Idaho’s Snake River Valley, Colorado’s Grand Valley around Palisade, Arizona’s Sonoita and Verde Valley, New York’s Hudson Valley, Missouri’s Hermann and Augusta AVAs, and southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley. See the full guide to hidden gem U.S. wine regions.

For first-time wine travelers, the top U.S. wine regions to visit are Napa Valley and Sonoma County in California, Willamette Valley in Oregon, Walla Walla in Washington, the Finger Lakes and Long Island in New York, Paso Robles in California, the Texas Hill Country, and Virginia’s Monticello. See the full guide to U.S. wine regions.

Plan three wineries per day, not five. Book the headliner winery and lunch reservations 3–4 weeks ahead. Pick one region per trip rather than trying to cover multiple. Either hire a driver or use spit buckets in tasting rooms so you can drive yourself. Bring a cooler for the wine you buy. See the full U.S. winery road trip guide.

A winery offers a tasting flight of one producer’s wines, often with a vineyard tour or cellar visit, and tasting fees run $25–$125 per person. A wine bar serves many different producers by the glass or bottle in a social, bar-style setting with no tasting fee. Wineries are best for deep dives into one producer; wine bars are best for sampling unfamiliar regions and styles.

Give bottles the recipient probably wouldn’t buy themselves. Under $20: dry Riesling, Spanish Crianza Rioja, or Champagne-method sparkling. $20–$40: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Sancerre, grower Champagne. $40–$75: Brunello di Montalcino, vintage Champagne. $75+: Premier Cru Burgundy, top Napa Cabernet. Always include a one-line note explaining why you picked it. See the full wine gifting guide.

An AVA is a federally designated American wine region. The U.S. has more than 250 AVAs, ranging from tiny single-vineyard designations to massive multi-state zones. AVAs are based on shared geographical and climatic features that distinguish them from surrounding areas. Famous examples include Napa Valley, Russian River Valley, Willamette Valley, Walla Walla, and the Finger Lakes. AVAs are roughly equivalent to French AOCs or Italian DOCs, but with looser quality rules.

Napa Valley is a warm California region famous for bold Cabernet Sauvignon ($40–$300+ bottles, $50–$125 tasting fees). The Finger Lakes is a cool upstate New York region famous for world-class Riesling ($15–$45 bottles, $5–$30 tasting fees). Napa is for prestige reds and luxury hospitality; the Finger Lakes is for aromatic whites and unbeatable value. See the full Napa vs Finger Lakes comparison.

New York has five major wine regions. The Finger Lakes upstate makes world-class Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Long Island (North Fork + Hamptons) makes Bordeaux-style reds and Sauvignon Blanc. The Hudson Valley — America’s oldest wine region — makes Cabernet Franc and natural wines. The Niagara Escarpment makes ice wines and aromatic whites. The Lake Erie region makes Concord and Catawba wines. See the full New York wine regions guide.

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