New Features:

• Offline mode – add wines during your cellar tasting or when travelling abroad where data connection may be unavailable.
• Wine label recognition – automatically detects the name of the wine you’ve uncorked.
• Mobile wine shopping – integration with Wine.com and Wine-Searcher.
• Wine postagram – send wine postcards through Sincerely.com (iOS only).
• Graphical enhancements.

Offline Mode

For those who frequent wine caves with spotty data coverage, Corkbin operates in offline mode so you’ll never miss the opportunity to capture a memorable bottle. Wines added offline are synchronized once data connectivity becomes available. Simply open Corkbin and the app will take care of the rest.

Wine Label Recognition

Powered by IQ Engines, Corkbin now recognizes the name your wine. The process is automatic and works in the background.

Mobile wine shopping

Corkbin now includes the integration of Wine.com, which allows users to buy wines directly from your phone. For users outside of the United States, Corkbin will query Wine-Searcher to locate an online merchant near you. Simply click the “Find” or “$” button  and Corkbin will do the rest.

Wine Postagrams

Available for iOS only. Corkbin works with Sincerely.com to send your wine label photos as physical postcards to anyone in the world. What an original way to share  your wine discoveries!

Corkbin can be downloaded from App Store and Google Play (or update directly on your phone). Enjoy!

Mulled Wine is a tradition that has been around since the oldest known English recipe books (The Forme of curry had a recipe published around 1390!) and hasn’t changed much since then, but there are subtle variations that can make your Mulled Wine perfect!

Here’s our favorite recipe for those long evenings at Corkbin HQ:

Although Croatia is divided into four main geographical wine-growing regions we have concentrated primarily on wines from Istria, being most accessible both in terms of travel (less than 3 hours from Venice) and the British palate. To us heart-shaped Istria is the Provence of Croatia, a must visit destination according to Lonely Planet and Condé Nast Traveller Magazine, and Istrians consider their wine to be food for the soul.

CLAI: SVETI JAKOV 2009

Corkbin app users may not yet have tried a Croatian wine; some may want to dip in slowly and others may want to jump in at the deep end, so it seems reasonable to choose here a wine for those who want to be conservative and another for those who require instant drama.

Both these wines are made from the indigenous grape Istrian malvazija, that produces on a basic level a dry white wine that you could call the soave, pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc of Croatia, i.e. the white you would most likely find in any bar, any café or any restaurant.  But these two whites are at either end of the spectrum, both perfectionist winemakers, both well known producers in Croatia and geographically just 5 km apart, however they have produced two completely different styles.

CATTUNAR: MALVAZIJA ISTARSKA 2010, 13.5%
100,000 bottles [RRP £14]This is everyday drinking Istrian malvazija from Franco Cattunar, one of the most well-known independent producers in Istria, whose grandfather founded the winery in 1930. Cattunar produces classic, well balanced and traditional wines 20km inland from the Adriatic near the border with Slovenia at Brtonigla, a gastronomic paradise.

CATTUNAR: MALVAZIJA ISTARSKA 2010

Light citrusy straw colour with a fresh perfumed slightly aromatic nose, a soft minerality and herbal notes, this white is clean, fresh and light.  Drink it as young as you can find it and enjoy the floral zest with soft tropical fruit tastes.

Franco’s malvazija is one that you would drink locally in tavernas and wine bars with or without food, and has travelled well with us to British wine bars and merchants. Its light fresh style means it matches white meats, fish or pasta dishes and pizza or is simply enjoyed with friends; however you drink it, it is an eminently quaffable superior everyday drinking white.

CLAI: SVETI JAKOV 2009 14.5%

7,600 bottles [RRP £45]

A natural white wine, often called an ‘orange’ wine by sommeliers worldwide due to its colour produced by long maceration (often days and sometimes months). Giorgio’s malvazija vines are around 25 years old and he produces his wines using traditional and natural methods: total fermentation with grapes, no additional yeasts or enzymes, and then matured in large wooden barrels for 12 months. Clai is a winemaker who creates wines of extremes – and his 100% malvazija ‘Sveti Jakov’ (Saint Jacob in English) is one of them.

Forget about the 14.5% alcohol content that defies its taste; this is a wine for the senses.  First revel in its old gold rich amber colour, second let the aromas hit you: dried figs, sultanas and ripe apricots and peaches, spices, acacia honey and mixed herbs.  Third delight in its taste – textured intense fruit but with a dry minerality to it so it’s not over-cloying. In fact it’s surprisingly refreshing and moreish, with gentle tannins and a long clean finish.  Try this with roast goose & plum stuffing, rabbit or lamb; the acidity cuts through those fatty foods and presents a fait accompli.

So two very different wines from the same indigenous grape: 100% Istrian malvazija.  Mr Cattunar for everyday quaffing, the party, barbecue, spring or summer lunch-in-the-garden wine, and Mr Clai the more meditative, more mysterious and more contemplative.  Both are a positive explosion of what is best about Istria wrapped up in a simple glass.

- Judith Burns

Based in Brighton Judith runs Pacta Connect with partner Trevor Long, a leading importer of Croatian wines with over 60 currently in their portfolio and about to expand, with most organic and many natural; huge fans of social media, tweeting about their wines and writing blogs about their travels, constantly organising tasting events and wine dinners around the UK educating the British consumer about Croatian wine. All their wines can be bought direct or email them at info@pactaconnect.co.uk for local stockists.

We recently made friends with the folks at Oriel Wines in New York City. The company sources boutique wines from independent winemakers around the world and help these winemakers get discovered.

Interested in giving their wine a try? Oriel Wines has offered all Corkbin users 20% off on their wines. Simply use ‘CORKBIN20‘ voucher code at checkout and start sampling these handmade, drinkable indulgences.

Can’t decide what to try? Oriel has put together a special 4-bottle pack containing our favorite reds from their offering.

Not quite ready to commit to 4 bottles? The 2003 L’Exception is a particularly great value and shouldn’t be missed!

On this vinous voyage so far, I have scaled the heights of La Montagne de Reims and spanned the breadth of La Vallée de la Marne, but with Dosnon and Lepage’s Récolte Noire, I now find myself in the uncharted district of the Aube, and more specifically La Côtes des Bar.

Sixty miles from Epernay and boasting no Premier or Grand Crus, the Aube is very much the black sheep of champagne that has strayed from the flock, and this is mirrored in the ethos of Dosnon & Lepage; a small boutique house very much penning their own script, and to understand the Récolte Noire, it is a story we must hear.

This far south we are on our way to Burgundy, and the soils are shifting from belemnitic limestone to kimmeridgian clay, the wines responding with greater structure, weight and minerality in abundance. But it’s not just terroir, there is craftsmanship afoot here too.

In the vineyard, Grand and Premier Cru short pruning techniques, hand harvesting and purposeful devigoring keep yields in check and optimise fruit, whilst in the cellar the onus is on sculpting a stunning base wine before the second ferment and lees ageing kicks in. A solid fruit and mineral foundation is layed upon which the yeasty decor can then be added. Fermentation in five-year-old ex Puligny Montrachet barrels adds complexity, and intervention is kept to the minimum; unfined and unfiltered the wine is given the chance to show its inner self.

And this it does seamlessly in the glass. Not for the faint of heart, it is a powerful, structured wine, yet it’s no brute, showing finesse and complexity as it pirouettes over the palate. On the nose, toasty brioche meets mineraltiy and purity of fruit with neither seeming to mask the other as they all sing in unison. There is ripeness too in the fruit, which shifts effortlessly from subtle hints of strawberry through to peaches and apricots via a red apple or two, gilded with hints of sweet spice. On the palate, clean, zesty citrus at the tip of the tongue gives way to expansive yeasty goodness which fills the mouth, guided by unobtrusive waves of creamy mousse that gently stroke the taste buds as if coaxing them to glean more. The acid is high, but the beautifully poised dosage is its perfect foil, backed by the abundance of fruit and leesy complexity.

The structure and weight of this 100% Pinot Noir makes me start to ponder food matching, and hitting the Dosnon & Lepage website I see a suitable recommendation has already been made – Braised Castillion Lamb, anchovy crumble and pot au feu vegetables. I trust my palate, but am not so confident in my culinary skills – I think I’ll be drinking this as an aperitif in future, but hopefully often.

- John Shearlock

Computer animator by day, wine amateur by night, John is currently studying on the WSET level 4 Diploma, and tasting, drinking and writing about wine whenever possible. Visit his musings at the drinking well which will be holding more tasting events in the near future.

Many thanks to The Daily for their kind words – and I hope that your friend enjoys that pinot

For those of you who don’t have an iPad / read the daily, content below:

A few phone calls later, and he’d tracked down one Sean Poropat, a designer based in Poreč, near his home village Buzet (Istria, Croatia). Sean took just one week to come up with a range of design options, from which the distinctive “Piquentum” branding was selected.

Although Brečević was raised in France, his father hailed from Istria (The Northerly part of Croatia butting up to Slovenia). Following a winemaking apprenticeship that took him from South-West France to Australia and New Zealand, Dimitri was keen to return to his fatherland and apply his winemaking knowledge back in Croatia. In 2006, the opportunity to purchase a disused army bunker near the village of Buzet presented Brečević with the chance he needed. Perfectly situated in the midst of vineyards, the bunker was also naturally cool – a real boon for winemaking. The only challenge was seeking planning permission to convert the ex-military facility into a winery – its existence had been so secret that the planning department initially denied that there was any building there at all!

Dimitri’s trailblazing range of wines were christened “Piquentum” after the roman name for Buzet. The Mondrian-like designs from Sean Poropat depict the nearby vineyards and hills, with “Rouge” and “Blanc” also providing a stylised image of Buzet’s church.

The modernist yet elegant visual style of the labels is an accurate reflection of the wine in the bottles. Dimitri uses top quality organically grown grapes and minimal intervention in the winery, to produce wines which are focussed and accessible whilst remaining utterly true to their origins.

Piquentum Blanc, made from Istria’s most popular indigenous grape Malvasija Istarska, is refreshing, nutty and mineral on the finish. Piquentum Rouge, made from the local Teran variety (a strain of Refosco), is a wild, cherry-fruit laden wine with bayleaf and pepper overtones. Look out for the 2011 vintage when it’s released later this year -  a real belter, with a supple, rounded character that’s quite a step up from the slightly lean 2009. Finally, Piquentum Terre is a softer, easier drinking red made from Refosco (or Refosk as it’s known locally).

Dimitri will release his sixth vintage (2011) this year. The wines just seem to get better and better, and with those fantastic labels they are well worth seeking out. Pacta Connect are the exclusive importer in the UK.

-Simon Woolf

Simon is a wine and food enthusiast living in London.  He has been studying, analysing and enjoying wine for well over a decade and blogs on The Morning Claret.

Uncorked by Andrew B.

Battle Island – that is all it says on the front label. And what an odd label it is too. A night time view of a lake, in the foreground a red haired girl looking at her reflection in a puddle. She has a raven on her shoulder and leaves are falling from the tree. OK so far? Next to the backgrounds tree, detail-less as they are shadowed are a dinosaur, one of those head statues from Easter Island and a winged totum pole. Yep, it lost me as well.

The rear label doesn’t yield any great revelations. For its main statement explains that “This is not an explanation to join the storyline find www.furiousknivesofwine.com”. Shame that url doesn’t load anything; perhaps it is hidden somewhere, hence the use of the word ‘find’. Or I’m reading to much into it!

Battle Island is a Shiraz-Cabernet Blend from South Australia, 2009 the vintage in my hand. IN small type it is explained that it has been produced by Some Young Punks, an outfit with a great grasp of marketing. I mean this particular oddity got me to buy the wine afterall.

Some Young Punks offer some great labels and names for their output. A sparkling shiraz, that unique Australian invention that oft divides opinion, goes under the name of Naked On Roller Skates for example, with a blind-haired beauty skating down a road. But those hoping for a little titivation will be disappointed; do you really think anyone, anywhere, is going to allow nudity on an alcoholic drink?

Some Young Punks go for the cartoon, pulp fiction, style big time. Double Love, Squids Fist… all depicted on their fun website. But like the missing details for Battle Island sadly lacking in anything meaningful. Meaningful that is if you really want to know the grape mix in each bottle, the alcohol content and so on.

But here it is all about the labels. I love them all.

“The ethos is simple, self-centered, and just a little arrogant. We make charismatic wines that are true to what we think ‘wine’ should be about. If someone doesn’t like the way we do it then they had better put the bottle down because there’s already not enough to go around.

Each wine, each vintage, and each label is a moment that will never come again – a winemaker should only ever promise to be consistently good, never just consistent. Each time we make a wine it may be the last wine we make – and if it isn’t worthy of being the last then it will never wear the Some Young Punks name.”

As for the Battle Island Shiraz-Cabernet… it is just what you would expect. Ripe and decent in that bold Australian manner, highly drinkable, one to share, one to wonder at the oddness of the label, maybe not give the actual wine too much attention, but to enjoy it for what it is; preferably without a raven on your shoulder or a dinosaur in the background.

- Andrew Barrow

Andrew is the writer of the Spittoon.biz blog (http://www.spittoon.biz) which has been around, in various guises, since the invention of the medium and its sister, more food oriented blog, SpittoonExtra (http://www.spittoonextra.biz)  . Over the years has written for various websites covering wine, food and drink with a focus now edging towards travelling to and through various wine regions (especially since writing for the Via Michelin website). Also contributed to two book projects last year. Travels extensively and has developed a particular passion for documenting his travels through the art of photography; which is a rather pompous way of saying he takes a few, half decent, snaps. See http://andys-scribblings.co.uk/photo

Uncorked by Richard R.

Before that job started, I set myself a goal. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get to grips with the complexities of the wines of Burgundy. With all those bottles to taste and sample, wouldn’t it just be an ideal chance to understand the specifics of the different villages and appellations – the tiny nuances of character that define that region? Well, much to my surprise, the producers of top Burgundy are not the biggest supporters of international wine competitions, but the real thrill was that instead I learned about dozens of wine-producing countries that I hadn’t understood were making great wines of world class.

So, I’m still trying to get to grips with all the tiny complexities of Burgundy, but my starting point is that I do love a drop of Pinot Noir. It’s a fickle kind of grape – tough to grow, and awkward to turn into wine, but when it works, it delivers some of the most seductive and charming wines you could hope to taste. I’ve tasted great Pinot from countries as diverse as New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Germany, California – all over the world, but sometimes it just has to come back to Burgundy.

This particular encounter with a bottle took place in Paris. A small restaurant called Mon Vieil Ami on the Ile Saint Louis. It’s not a vegetarian restaurant, but it does put vegetables centre stage. Mostly root vegetables, with a chef from Alsace, but the wine we chose was a red from Burgundy.

If you’re looking for value in Burgundy, then one route is to aim for the less fashionable villages, but always stick to the best producers. We chose a Marsannay – as the most northerly appellation of the Cote de Nuits, it’s so near the top of the Burgundy map that it’s almost a suburb of the city of Dijon.

The producer: Bruno Clair – generally seen as the best producer in Marsannay. I wouldn’t argue with that. The result: an absolutely sublime bottle, with ripe cherry fruit balanced by a soft delicacy and a wonderful, fragrant nose – subtle, soft and special.  The test of a great bottle is how long it lasts – this was a slow drinker.

- Richard Ross

Richard Ross started his journalistic career as a radio news reporter on the BBC, latterly on Radio 4’s PM programme, before moving into wine writing. He first wrote for Wine Magazine in 1999, and in its various incarnations since, and became online editor for the magazine, launching its website and a string of other drinks magazine websites since. Always interested in how technology and the online space can deliver smarter and more interesting wine content, Richard is now involved in building and developing the wine content for iPhone apps through APPetise.co.uk. Author of the wine blog, Wine Lines.

We were lucky enough to be able to join some of you at the New York Wine Expo this past weekend; and what a weekend it was. Thousands of wine lovers (and some more ‘likers’), sampling hundreds of wineries’ newest offerings to see what they may like to pick up a bottle of, or stock for their store (Sunday was trade only).

On Saturday, we were lulling around the show, enjoying the odd tipple – more on that later – when we noticed that everyone was taking pictures of the bottles to remember. We couldn’t just stand idly by and watch this happen – Corkbin to the rescue. After the 4th or 5th person that we introduced to Corkbin (they all loved it!), we decided to throw together a promotion for Sunday. 12 hours later – 4 people on the ground handing out 1,000 coasters repurposed as flyers and on Sunday – dozens of people around the show floor could be seen taking hundreds of wine images, making tasting notes and saving the list of wines they want to stock for their stores.

Ad-hoc Corkbin Promo Kit!

Hopefully, Corkbin proved useful to everyone who discovered it on Sunday – and we’d love to hear any feedback that our new users have.

Now – back to the show.

The array of wines on display was fantastic – no corner of the world went unrepresented! Peru had a stand with multiple wineries, as did India – two regions I certainly had never tried. (I feel like India may not have been well-represented, I saw a number of people getting new glasses because they couldn’t get the taste of the Indian reds out!)

There were a couple of wines that really really stood out.

Firstly, the Pronto Lambrusco – from Italy, and made in a traditional style that is no longer exported. It was more reminiscent of a light Balsamic vinegar than a typical Lambrusco, but paired perfectly with the italian food provided.

Pronto Lambrusco on Corkbin

Secondly, the Green Griffin Diamond-themed Champagne. It was a delicious, light bottle but with so much character outside of the wine that it might just make it in the hyper-competitive world that is high-street champagne.

Green Griffin Champagne on Corkbin

Every 500th bottle contains an actual 1-carat diamond; assumedly not in the bottle! And the fancy beading around the bottle, comes off to make a bracelet which is surprisingly believable-looking. They are a recent startup in France and best of luck to them!

Very pretty Diamond-themed champagne. Balling!

The App

The conference had an iPhone App all of it’s very own provided by GenieMobile – their usual 9 panel home screen with features that seem like they should be awesome, but nothing quite meets the mark. For anybody who has been to CES, you’ll be quite familiar. The Wine Event app market (and Events apps in general) are proving to be difficult to crack!

That said, it did provide a useful list of wine merchants and I did star off merchants that I loved (as well as adding their Wine to Corkbin ofcourse)!

Lots of wine meets beautiful NY Skyline!

It was fantastic to meet some Corkbin fans at the conference & hope to see more of you at future Expos!

The Corkbin Team