Name every storage area
Give each place containing bottles a simple, familiar name so everyone in your household understands it.
- Cellar
- Wine refrigerator
- Kitchen rack
- Spirits cabinet or bar
- Floor cases or overflow storage
Your free collector resource
The Bottle Collection Quick-Start Checklist
Five practical steps to know what you own, record where it belongs, and find it when it matters.
Five steps, one useful collection
Start with what helps you find and enjoy the bottle.
Record the exact location
A location such as Cellar - Rack 2 - Row 4 - Position 6 is much more useful than simply writing cellar.
- Storage area
- Rack, cabinet, or refrigerator
- Row or shelf
- Section or position
- Front or back when necessary
Capture the details that matter
Start with the information that helps you recognize, find, and value the bottle. You can always add more later.
- Producer or bottle name
- Vintage, age statement, or release
- Wine or spirit type
- Quantity owned
- Purchase date, price, and source
Remember when and why to enjoy it
A collection becomes more useful when every special bottle has a reason and a likely time to open it.
- Suggested drinking window
- Special occasion
- Food pairing
- People you want to share it with
- Personal story or memory
Take ten minutes each month
A short monthly check keeps your records trustworthy and prevents the collection from becoming a chore.
- Add recent purchases
- Record bottles that were consumed
- Update bottles that moved
- Review bottles ready to enjoy
- Correct missing quantities or locations
Bottle Vault for iPhone
Put the checklist to work without another spreadsheet.
Bottle Vault brings wine, spirits, exact storage locations, quantities, values, drinking windows, tasting notes, and bottle memories into one private collection.
- Unlimited manual bottle entry
- 20 free successful AI label scans
- Private by design