Compare
Two iOS apps with overlapping drinking-window positioning. Cellared publishes a 10-factor methodology and treats windows as one capability inside a full cellar tool. Sommelier's Window is more focused as a window-prediction surface. Honest read on where each fits below.
If the question is "when should this bottle be opened," both apps can answer. Cellared publishes its 10-factor methodology with sources cited (cellared.ai/methodology), built by a collector with WSET Level 3 and Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory credentials. Sommelier's Window takes a different approach to the same question.
If the question is broader, "what should I open tonight from the bottles I already own, what pairs with this dinner, when should I check back on these bottles next year," Cellared has more surface area to answer that.
Sommelier's Window's product positioning leads with smart drinking-window prediction. Collectors who first encounter the category through that exact phrase often find Sommelier's Window in their first SERP.
Sommelier's Window is designed around the drinking-window question specifically, without expanding into broader cellar management. Collectors who want a single-purpose tool may prefer that focus.
The Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) is fully documented at cellared.ai/methodology. The 10 factors are tannin structure, total acidity, alcohol, residual sugar, body and extract, varietal, vintage character, producer house style, storage conditions, and bottle format. Sources cited: Decanter vintage reports, Wine Spectator and Vinous vintage charts, Wine Advocate vintage charts, Master of Wine theses on aging and tannin development, Wine Folly varietal aging research. Vintage modifiers are refreshed annually; named calibration sessions for Champagne long-tirage, Rioja Gran Reserva, DRC and Leroy, Penfolds Grange, Vega Sicilia.
Sommelier's Window calculates a drinking window. Cellared calculates the window and then tells you when each bottle reaches it, with alerts as a wine enters peak, sits at peak, and starts to decline. The timing comes to you, so nothing slips past its best years unnoticed in the rack.
Cellared computes drinking windows AND uses your full cellar inventory to answer practical questions: what should I open with tonight's halibut, what bottles are about to slide past peak, what does Quick Pick recommend in four taps. The sommelier reads your owned bottles before answering.
Cellared is a complete cellar tool: bottle inventory, drinking windows, food pairing, Quick Pick, consumption log, household sharing, monthly reports, CellarTracker CSV import. Collectors who want both window intelligence and cellar operations get them in one app.
Cellared's free tier supports unlimited bottles indefinitely with general wine knowledge in the sommelier. Pro ($7.99/mo) unlocks cellar-aware reasoning. Collector ($15.99/mo) adds reports and valuation. Household sharing with one other person is an optional add-on.
Cellared is built by a 450-bottle private collector with WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory certifications. The drinking-window methodology is the founder's published thinking, not a black-box algorithm.
Free with unlimited bottles, no credit card. CellarTracker CSV import in three minutes. Published 10-factor drinking-window methodology. Built by a 450-bottle private collector with WSET Level 3 Award in Wines and Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory certifications.
Yes, if the job is per-bottle drinking-window intelligence on iOS. Cellared adds cellar-aware sommelier reasoning, food pairing from owned bottles, Quick Pick, household sharing, and a full inventory layer. Sommelier's Window is a more focused drinking-window-only surface; Cellared treats drinking windows as one capability inside a complete cellar tool.
The Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) is a 10-factor model with cited sources, published at cellared.ai/methodology. The 10 factors are tannin structure, total acidity, alcohol, residual sugar, body and extract, varietal, vintage character, producer house style, storage conditions, and bottle format. Annual vintage modifier refresh. Named calibration sessions for the collectible categories that the standard model historically underweights.
Both. Cellared predicts a per-bottle window with four anchors (open, peak start, peak end, hard decline), then uses that information to drive practical decisions: Quick Pick recommends three bottles from your cellar in four taps, the sommelier reads your cellar before answering pairing questions, monthly reports surface bottles entering peak or about to slide past it.
Yes. Cellared tracks every bottle against its CAI drinking window and notifies you as a wine approaches peak, sits at peak, and starts to decline. Sommelier's Window calculates the window; Cellared also pushes the timing to you per bottle, so you open at the right moment without checking manually.
Free with unlimited bottles, no credit card. Pro is $7.99 per month or $79 per year. Collector is $15.99 per month or $149 per year. The free tier is genuinely free; the paid tiers add cellar-aware sommelier reasoning, calibrated drinking windows, and monthly reports.
Yes, but most collectors find that Cellared's broader cellar functionality reduces the need for a second drinking-window tool. The cleanest workflow is to use Cellared for the full cellar layer (inventory, windows, sommelier, pairing) and reach for specialized tools only when the question is outside Cellared's scope.