I know most everyone here uses CellarTracker, including myself to some degree. I just found out at very last notice that Vincellar is transitioning to a new system and most our data, aside from just the general inventory itself, is going to be lost and no longer supposed by the “new” program. I requested my data, but what they say they provide me is a small part of the data on their site. I also requested an off-line version, but the jury is still out.
I started with Vincellar, so I have thousands of hours of my adding tasting notes, professional reviews, winery notes, drinking windows, etc, so I am just devastated that beginning Thursday, it will all be gone. I will be transitioning completely to CellarTracker, but the lack of notice by Vincellar means the data I am not able to export (it would require me to create 1000+ PDF downloads of the individual wine page itself snag the data) will not be able to be transferred. Sure I can get an Excel spreadsheet of some of the data, like my inventory, just not the majority of my work product of adding professional reviews, certain sections of my tasting notes, etc.
I am grieving the time I spent organizing my wine cellar inventory and wish I spent that time instead on progressing my formal wine education…I would have my WSET Diploma or maybe even Master of Wine at this point, lol! But also it makes me realize, even CellarTracker could wipe your data with apparently no recourse, so proceed with that in mind (unless they have some safeguards in place I am unaware of, which I hope is the case).
I would post in the CT support forum and ask if you can have your data transferred to a different CT account. (It seems weird that Vincellar would have complete control of your CT account instead of just permission to manage inventory. But it sounds like that is the case?)
Hi!
Yes, thank you for responding!
Vincellar (Vinfolio) said they can give me some, but not all of my data…at least not so far.
I was not a part of WineBerserkers when I started creating and maintaining my wine inventory in 2016, so I started with Vincellar instead of CellarTracker.
I began the transition quite some time ago over to CellarTracker, but you know things like work and life got in the way of wanting to spend countless more hours moving 1000+ bottles of wine with notes into a new program…but now I am forced to dedicate that time.
I just wanted to warn anyone here who was Vincellar (probably no one but me, lol!) that they are going to be in for a big surprise on Monday if they used it for anything other than documenting simply the bottle itself.
There should be alternatives to “countless hours”. What data are you able to get from your current inventory? CellarTracker offers bulk imports via spreadsheet and as mentioned they’ll potentially even offer assistance getting it in.
They are able to provide some tasting notes from bottles I have removed/consumed and my current bottle inventory. But things like the winery notes I put into my personal notes for bottles currently in my inventory and all my professional reviews will be gone with this transition.
I will be using the bulk importing for my bottles to CellarTracker, but to redo all the reviews and notes, which are not part of the spreadsheet they can provide, will be gone and I will need to start from scratch.
Perhaps this is more of a cautionary tale, as I am sure some of us non-tech people (like myself) think when we enter all this data we place under an account of ours, with a user name and password, it is actually ours to keep.
I miss programs we can just keep on our own computer…like buying a floppy disc from Best Buy to install on my hard-drive, lol! So if any of you have come across a program I can purchase for wine inventory that does not require a third-party to interfere, I mean interface, please let me know. I did a search and only found programs where my data is on their servers.
Ask over on the CellarTracker General Discussion forum – I’m sure the CellarTracker developers are aware of the Vincellar shutdown and may have ideas how to get more of your data transferred to CellarTracker.
