Personal Wine App vs Social Wine Experience
Vivino is the world's #1 wine app, boasting a community of over 70 million wine lovers who use it to scan labels, read reviews, and buy wines. It's a fantastic pocket sommelier — helping you pick the right bottle and keep track of wines you've tried.
But what Vivino doesn't do is turn wine tasting into an interactive group event. Enter Tasteparty: a platform that makes wine tastings with friends just as engaging as a Vivino scan is informative. If you love Vivino for exploring wines, see why Tasteparty is the perfect companion when it comes to enjoying wines together in person.
See how the two platforms compare for wine tasting events
| Feature | Tasteparty | Vivino |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | Interactive wine tasting events — group ratings & fun competition | Personal wine discovery app — label scanner, reviews, recommendations |
| How It's Used | ✅ In-person: host or attend a tasting, rate wines live with friends | On-the-go/at home: scan wine bottles to get info and community ratings |
| Social Aspect | ✅ Real-time group interaction: everyone participates together | Social network & marketplace: follow friends' reviews (asynchronous) |
| Setup & Access | ✅ No app required: guests join via QR code instantly on phone | 🔶 Mobile app required: must install Vivino app |
| Coverage | ✅ All beverages (wine, beer, whisky, etc. in one platform) | Primarily wine-focused (beer/spirits not included) |
| Key Features | ✅ Blind tasting mode, live voting, instant results with winners podium | ✅ Label recognition, detailed wine info, community reviews, food pairings |
| Level of Detail | Quick scoring on custom criteria during tasting; optional notes | ✅ Detailed reviews and ratings for almost any wine |
| Buying & Inventory | Focused on tasting experience (not a purchase tool) | ✅ Wine marketplace and cellar tracking features |
| Cost | ✅ Free for small groups; upgrade for larger events | ✅ Free app with optional premium features |
Vivino excels at identifying and researching wines — it's like a library and shop in your pocket. Tasteparty excels at making the act of tasting wine with others a fun, engaging event. Rather than replacing Vivino, Tasteparty adds an interactive dimension to your wine enjoyment that a solo app experience can't match.
Vivino is superb when you're alone in a wine shop, wondering which bottle to buy or logging one you opened last night. But what about your monthly wine club meet-up or a dinner party wine tasting? Tasteparty turns those gatherings into lively experiences. You rate wines side by side, see group scores live, and reveal the favorite wine of the night together. It's interactive and communal, bringing a sense of game night to wine night.
Perhaps you have friends who aren't on Vivino, or that one friend who never downloads apps. With Tasteparty, that's no issue. Guests join via a simple QR code — no accounts or downloads needed. Asking everyone to download Vivino and make an account before a tasting can be a lot to ask. Tasteparty's frictionless access means anyone with a phone can participate in seconds.
Wine aficionados often love blind tastings to eliminate preconceived bias from regions or labels. Vivino, by its nature, shows you the label info and community score once you scan — the cat's out of the bag. Tasteparty offers a Blind Tasting Mode that keeps wine identities secret until the big reveal. Imagine the look on everyone's face when the $15 bottle wins over the $50 one — priceless!
One of Vivino's strengths is information — you get tasting notes, grape details, food pairings, and tons of user reviews. But that learning is one-directional. Tasteparty provides interactive, personal learning. As you taste with others, you learn by discussing — "I got cherry and smoke, what did you get?" — and by seeing collective results. This tactile, social learning solidifies wine knowledge in a way reading a list of flavors might not.
Vivino's community coverage is huge (16 million wines and 245,000 wineries in their database), which is amazing for breadth. Tasteparty doesn't need a preloaded database — you create your own tasting list. Whether it's a flight of rare Napa Cabs or homemade fruit wines from your friends, anything can be added. You could rate a home-brewed wine or a barrel sample at a winery — things you won't find in Vivino's database.
Vivino's focus is often on finding the best wine (via ratings and reviews) and keeping a journal. Tasteparty is focused on making the journey fun. The star of a Tasteparty session isn't just the highest-rated wine; it's the experience each guest has. The excitement of competition, the surprise reveals, the friendly debates — these are moments of joy that don't happen when one person quietly looks up a Vivino score.
If you're an avid Vivino user, you likely have a wealth of knowledge and a log of all your past sips. Tasteparty doesn't replace that — it enhances your wine activities.
Consider a scenario: you're hosting a tasting of Sauvignon Blancs from around the world. You might use Vivino beforehand to pick out well-regarded bottles from New Zealand, California, and the Loire. Now, with those bottles ready, fire up Tasteparty at the event. Instead of telling your guests, "Vivino says this one is 4.2 stars," you let them taste blind and input their own ratings. The room buzzes with discovery.
By the end, your group's ranking might match Vivino's global consensus — or it might dramatically differ, prompting great discussion. "So the crowd favorite was actually the one Vivino rated lowest — what did we love about it that others might be missing?"
Moreover, Tasteparty can encourage your friends who aren't on Vivino to develop their taste. Someone who casually attends a Tasteparty wine night might afterward say, "That was fun! I discovered I really like Tempranillo. Maybe I'll download Vivino to find more." You've effectively grown your wine circle and helped others on their wine journey by using Tasteparty as the spark.
Vivino has empowered wine drinkers with information. Tasteparty empowers wine drinkers with shared experiences. Why not have both?
The next time you open a few bottles with friends or host a structured tasting, bring Tasteparty to the table (figuratively and literally!). It's incredibly easy: create an event, input the wines (just names or nicknames if blind), and let everyone join via QR code. Then sip, rate, repeat — and enjoy the lively atmosphere that follows.
Whether you're doing a casual tasting of supermarket finds or an exclusive flight of vintages, Tasteparty scales to the occasion. Serious oenophiles will appreciate the data; newcomers will love how approachable and fun it is. It's the perfect blend of learning and enjoyment.
If you love using Vivino when you're by yourself, give Tasteparty a try when you're with your fellow wine lovers. It might just become your group's favorite new tradition.
Turn ordinary wine drinking into an extraordinary shared adventure.
✓ Free for small groups • ✓ No credit card required • ✓ No expertise needed