I am no wine aficionado — but I dabble in wine tasting here and there. I have a vision of being a well educated host that pairs bottles with dishes and curates spreads apropos for various celebratory themes.

I grew up in Northern California, a mere 1.5 hour drive to “wine country”, but my wine expertise is lacking. Other than my mom, I am the least knowledgable member of the family when it comes to wine.

Growing up, we’d spend each Father’s day in Napa visiting the family’s favorite wineries — the Dad’s sipping — the kids frolicking in the green fields and playing on the cobblestone pathways. As a lifelong SF 49ers fan, good plays and wins were celebrated with a bold red rather than a cold bruski. Major holidays, events and vacations would result in 10, 20 or even 50 exhausted bottles organically scattered on the marble counter (depending on the # of guests and duration, of course).

You see — I was born into a wine family, and I need to catch up.

In order to make progress on my vision, I decided to craft a wine log to track various aspects of wine as a hobby. Follow along below to make your own personalized wine log!

I chose to make my wine log in Milanote as it has become a trusty companion to which I organize most aspects of my life. You can use Excel, Apple Notes, a physical notebook or planner — or your choice of platform or application.

The main page of my wine log contains a quick reference log + portals to more detailed information.

STEP 1: Create a place to capture general notes on recent bottles & tastes

I selected information for this introductory table that might be most useful on a day to day basis:

Did you like the wine enough to repurchase it? I recommend keeping the “nos” on this list because, like books, it can be hard to remember wether you’ve purchased a bottle. Refer to the list before shopping so you don’t inadvertently end up with a bottle you already know you don’t like.

Is there a particular season or occasion that resonates with the bottle? For example, maybe a red was too light when you drank it in winter but would be perfect for a cool summer night.

Do certain food flavors pair well with the bottle flavors? Enjoy a bottle you’ve previously successfully paired - or try a new pairing for research!

Hobby Suggestion: Devise a system to run experiments & track results - what culinary flavors or textures are bolstered, minimized, neutralized, etc. by different wine notes?

Do certain types or blends result in specific moods? Maybe one bottle makes you sleepy while another makes you want to dance. This is good information to keep track of for future reference.

Fun Fact: I used Silver Oak as an example inspired by Scotty McCreery’s new song “Cab In A Solo” as I was surprised and delighted to hear that winery referenced in a hit country song. My family has long been fans of the brand, but I didn’t realize it was a nationally recognized label.

STEP 2: Categorize the other data you want to collect or track into similar buckets

I categorized my data buckets as follows:

Reds, Whites + Sparkling. I’m not yet particular about the type (e.g., Merlot, Pinot Noir) of wine I like to drink on any given day. If I was in the mood for something — I’d start looking first by color, then by type, label, flavor notes, etc. (and yes, I do sometimes judge a bottle by it’s label). Organize your log in any way that naturally flows based on your preferences.

Hosting. To aid in entertaining, selecting host gifts, etc.

Wishlist. Anything on my radar that I haven’t tried yet.

Misc. Resources like shops to explore and tasting guidance.

STEP 3: Populate your data sections

Within Milanote, my information is organized in a nesting doll manner — however, you can create your log in a simpler manner with more information upfront, and less embedded within other sections. Milanote has a search function that enables me to easily find something — but if the platform you’re using does not, I recommend making your outline as simple as possible.

I chose to organize my wines by brand, then type, then bottle detail. This allows me to see all offerings from a particular brand in one location — perhaps convenient if you’re planning a wine tasting trip — but sorting by type then brand will work just as well.

In the example below, I would navigate to Silver Oak, then select Cab Sauv and then see full details on their cab sauv offering.

In the bottle detail section, I wanted to capture basic information and purchase history.

List stores where you have found that bottle in the past (in person or online)

Brainstorm who may like this bottle as a gift (based on flavor profile, label, wine maker, winery location, price point, etc.)
Document each bottle purchased for historical reference. When was it purchased, what was the cost, how did it taste? Analyze trends over time — is the cost increasing and taste decreasing? Consider these factors when looking for your next purchase or gift.

Hobby Suggestion: Keep a journal of musings or memories that occur when drinking bottles (particularly for favorites that you purchase regularly).
Gift Suggestion: Use these journals to create a scrapbook or photo album as a gift for a family member or friend with whom you’ve shared memories over glasses of wine.

My hosting section includes a place to track preferences + allergies and a simple event planning template.

I thought it would be helpful to notate the wine preferences of your family, friends & favorite people to assist with pulling wines for events, gifting and ordering at restaurants. For example, if you’re hosting a book club, and 4 of the 6 attendees prefer white wines, you might create a spread of 3 bottles of white + 1 bottle of red.

Gift Suggestion: Pay attention for clues about what friends + family like and dislike when tasting or enjoying wine. Note your observations and refer back when in need of a gift for that person. Select a bottle or curate a gift basket with a few bottles & your suggested food pairings (snacks, sweets, appetizers, etc.).

The event planning template is a place to brainstorm and curate wine for parties, holidays, seasonal inventories or to further your hobby.

Indicate key details about the event (e.g., weather, time of day, theme) to inform your selections. Use your preference tracker if applicable to cover your guests favorites. Be sure to have more than you anticipate being consumed (so you don’t run out!).

Gift Suggestion: Consider giving extra (unopened) bottles to your guests as party favors. Stash a few on-theme ribbons and tags near the front door so you can spruce up the extra bottles before your guests head home.
Hobby Suggestion: Know you’ll be stuck inside for the majority of the harsh winter months? Stock up on the wines you’ve had your eye on to practice tasting, identifying flavor notes, pairing with meals, etc. Pick a healthy variety (regions, types, boldness levels, vintages, etc.) to keep the activity interesting.
Hobby Suggestion: Keep track of the actual results of your event planning to better prepare for future events. What were the most popular bottles? Were some bottles opened but not finished? Did people ask about bottles or take pictures for reference? Was your plan correct (i.e., did you have an appropriate allocation of reds, white & sparkling)?

My wish list section is fairly self explanatory. A convenient location to list all the bottles you want to try, whether recommendations from friends or sommeliers, bottles you’ve spotted on a menu or at a wine store, or something you tasted and want to try more substantially.

I’ll also use this space to capture pictures of bottles with no descriptors to reference when shopping. I saw the above bottle on a wine website a few years back — but it is no longer available at that store. Not having documented the wine maker name or any details, I’ll keep this image handy in case I spot it in the wild someday.

The final section in my wine log is the miscellaneous board. Akin to a junk drawer, this is a catch-all for anything wine-related that I may need to reference. Things to consider for this section:

Learning. There is so much wisdom and guidance around wine tasting, collecting, etc. available. List articles, podcasts, YouTubers, magazines, stores, Master Class videos, courses, etc. that you can utilize when you want to learn more about a particular topic.

Travel. Most people know major wine regions like Napa, Burgundy, and Champagne, but there are wineries all over the world. I recently visited the South African wine region, Franschhoek, which was stunning and unexpected. Keep track of regions you want to visit.

Hobby Suggestion: Start a wine club where you feature a different region each meeting or challenge yourself to try a wine from a new region when at a wine bar or restaurant. Hone in on trends within certain regions, and document what you like and dislike. Use this data to plan trips to your favorite regions.

Inventory. There are apps that offer complex tracking abilities - but I prefer a simple inventory that tells me the current # of bottles in each of the main categories. Both are excellent options, and I encourage you to re-assess your inventory log/tool as you develop your wine confidence.

Gift Suggestion: Gift a fellow aspiring wine enthusiast a few months subscription to your favorite wine inventory app.

STEP 4: Use your wine log!

Make a habit of documenting information in the various tables and lists that you created so you can expand your repertoire. The beauty of wine as a hobby is that you can pick it up or pause as you’d like with little repercussion. You may need to re-familiarize your taste buds to the nuances of flavor notes, but what you put in your tracker, stays in your tracker. Perhaps you want to take a break for a year or two - you can always revisit and restart.

Be flexible — your log doesn’t need to be beautiful or 100% complete — if you miss a bottle or two, no worries. If you can’t remember a pairing that you recently enjoyed — no stress! This is meant to be fun — so no need to take it too seriously.

Whether a solo activity or something to enjoy with friends — there are endless opportunities of how to incorporate the art of wine into your life.

Salute!