InVintory, the wine platform that is reshaping how collectors engage with wine and track their bottles, has officially launched in the US. The app offers two products, Aspire and Prestige. Aspire includes InVintory's original suite of features, among them a label scanner to easily upload bottles, custom tags to categorize wines, and a memories journal to capture special moments. Prestige – the newer subscription tier – builds upon Aspire, offering access to InVintory's advanced features, including patented bottle-finding technology, cellar valuation, and white-glove collection import service.
Founded in 2018, InVintory's mission is simple: take the complexity out of wine collecting, so that seasoned and aspiring collectors alike can get back to what really matters – enjoying their wine with the people they love.
The company began with a relatable incident that involved Co-Founder and CEO Jeff Daiter frantically searching for a bottle of wine in his cellar, resulting in that very bottle crashing to the ground and shattering. He knew tracking his collection shouldn't be so difficult and turned to his son, Josh (a software developer) for help. Josh built the first iteration of the app on a family vacation.
"Our platform has evolved a lot since inception," says Jeff, a physician, investor, and entrepreneur. "Our initial goal was to solve the problem that I, and many other collectors, faced – the challenge of finding our bottles. Today, we've broadened our scope and aim to serve the needs of all collectors, whether they're just getting started or have large collections to manage."
Prestige offers several functions. Its flagship feature is VinLocate, proprietary technology that allows collectors to build custom 3D replicas of their cellars or wine fridges and then find any bottle within them in an instant. In addition, Prestige subscribers have access to advanced analytics, including collection valuation and interactive charts showing collection breakdown, consumption history, and spending. The company recently also released a Transit List to allow collectors to track pending shipments. And to help Prestige subscribers get started, the team offers white-glove import support whereby they will transfer an entire collection from another platform or spreadsheet into the app.
While InVintory is firmly situated amongst some of the leading technology innovators, it stands strong as a wine company, not a tech company. Its mission has evolved into something more meaningful than just providing a tool for collectors to catalogue their bottles. Recognizing that collectors of all ages and in all stages of their collecting journey want to engage with wine, they aim to bring people back to the idea that wine is more than just a drink. It is a portal into history, culture and memory, and that to "collect" wine is not just about amassing bottles; it is about amassing experiences and thus does not require ample disposable income. In this way, InVintory aims to reframe collecting as a pastime that is accessible to all, regardless of their level of disposable income.
This ethos was front of mind during InVintory's first virtual round-table discussion on the Future of Wine Collecting, in celebration of its launch, featuring industry veterans Elin McCoy and Oz Clarke. The engaging discussion highlighted current trends, such as the broadening universe of wines that qualify as "collectible" and the uptick in younger collectors who seek them out, as well as the importance of reframing modern paradigms like ratings and drink windows to better capture the personal experience of wine.
"Our two differentiating attributes are our product and our philosophy on wine and wine collecting," says Jeff. "The product is equally defined by intuitive design and powerful technology, keeping with our mission to remove complexity and deliver a simple user experience. But our understanding of wine is just as important, as it is the lens we apply to every decision on what we build and how we build it."
InVintory is available on iOS, Android and the web. Prestige is priced at $9.99 per month, or $99 annually.