It doesn’t. Facial recognition on bottle shots, ability to rate 1.0-10.0, ability to comment. Keeps record of what you drink, who you follow, who follows you etc… no forums though.
Antonio posted on the Vinous forum that he views Delectable as a different platform so about all Vinous subscribers get for their $6/month is the avoidance of ads and a different way to access content we’ve already paid for. I’d consider a reasonable one-time payment to opt out of ads, which is common on other apps, but the product isn’t worth $6/month to me.
I won’t repeat my post from the Vinous board, as it overlaps significantly with my post above. But, Antonio’s response in the Vinous board thread does little to persuade me that there’s anything attractive in the new Delectable set-up for current Vinous subscribers. Maybe non-subscribers will feel that paying $72/yr to get rid of ads and access reviews is worth it.
For me, as a current subscriber to both Vinous and CellarTracker, I don’t see any gain. So, I’ll probably just continue to use the old version of the app that I have until it’s no longer functional. At that point, I’ll likely just drop it vs. use an app that’s cluttered with ads or pay $72/yr to make them disappear.
Yes. I was wrong about this. I thought if you pay for Vinous… well, basically what Andrew said. It makes no sense to me.
For those of you who do not subscribe to Vinous here is Antonio’s response to the feedback on the forum.
Apologies for not chiming in sooner. I am in Europe and still recovering from the lovely 6.5 hour delay I had on Friday night at JFK.
But let’s talk about Delectable. First, let’s get something out of the way. The only reason Delectable exists today is because we put up the resources that were required to ensure its long-term viability. This is a fact and it is beyond discussion. No one here will ever know, for example, how close Delectable came to being bought by a retailer whose intentions were starkly different from ours.
Delectable remains a free app. In the free version we have added the ability to delete a comment (an intermediary step until we introduce editing) and average prices for all wines, the #1 feature enhancement users have asked for. We have also introduced advertisements. There is a bit of trial and error required to get ads totally dialed in and relevant, but we are moving in the right direction.
The Premium subscription ($5.99/month) gives users the ability to get rid of the ads, see Vinous reviews and receive priority help in matching wines that don’t match automatically.
Over the last six months we have made meaningful investments in Delectable. I would like to do more. The reality is that maintaining and growing the app takes money. At this time, for the foreseeable future, all revenues are going right back into making Delectable as good - but hopefully as great - as possible. I am sure many of you are familiar with the fate that numerous wine/technology companies have suffered. It is always the same. Expenses are too high and revenues are too low. We are determined to not let that happen.
I can understand why Vinous subscribers feel like they should see Vinous reviews on Delectable without having a separate charge for that. Our view is that Delectable is a platform, not unlike CellarTracker. Users who derive value from the Delectable platform should be willing to pay for it. Moreover, I do not exclude than in the future, Delectable might include reviews from other publications as well. There is no reason why that could not happen.
So, we are still in the early stages. We won’t get every decision right the first time. But we have total flexibility to do whatever we want.
If there are any customer service issues, just let us know and we will do our best to resolve them.
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Antonio Galloni Posts: 3,251
12:56PM
I’ve been using the app since it began and was take a picture, upload it and wait for a reply email saying they have identified my wine and here is where I can purchase it.
Antonio could have saved himself a lot of time if he would have simply asked the users if they would support a subscription service for Delecatble use in order to not get bombarded with ads. Everyone I know who uses Delectable uses it to share what they are drinking and follow others who they care to follow. I know of nobody who uses it to find out information on a wine. Antonio thinks we are there for the information when we are actually there to socialize our wine drinking. Vinous seems to want to change users minds. I don’t think it will go over well. Hell I may be wrong, they my get tons of new subscribers but the site won’t be the same. While I understnd that everything has a cost I really don’t think $72 a year for a user driven database is very appealing. I pay $25/year for WineBerserkers and another $25/year for Cellartracker and each of those gives me tons more value for the dollar than Delectable would for the same price, lest $72.
More power to him if he can make it work but, like I said, it won’t be the same any longer.
Brian, I very much agree with your sentiments about Delectable. I don’t imagine I’ll ever use it to look at a Vinous review. I subscribe to Vinous, but I can’t imagine why I’d look at their reviews after I’ve already opened the bottle. Delectable, to me, is only about the social aspect.
I do feel I should be paying something for the use of the app, but the current amount does seem a bit high. I pay more to CellarTracker and WineBerserkers each year, but I’m happier to pay those since they are voluntary. I’m okay with $6 a month for now, but if a lot of the people I follow stop posting or post less frequently, then I’ll reevaluate. At least it is only a one-month-at-a-time commitment.
I’m looking now. Yes there are ads and no access to Vinous, but you can still use it and record notes. This is all I care about, cataloging wines and my notes when I care to leave them. So free works just fine for me.
Would you really be looking for it if nobody had said anything about it? 
Thanks for posting that Brian. I had no idea that Galloni has an interest in Delectable, and after reading that, and his claimed interest in investing in it and seeing it grow, I wonder whether access to Vinous content through CT is an endangered species.
as an active user of Delectable, and a big fan of the app, I was slightly miffed to suddenly see the ads and subscription without warning (and no, the updated app warning isn’t enough). an e-mail to the existing community (especially since many of us are probably not Vinous subscribers) would have been a smart way for them to a) get people to subscribe by explaining what the new price would give them b) introduce users to Vinous who may not know it and b) maintain good-will among the existing community. I’m glad they’re investing money into the app and maybe the subscriptions and ads will help them keep Delectable up and running. I just hope they don’t alienate a majority of their user base by doing so.
Well if it’s comment you want, I think you’ll find this forum particularly forthcoming ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
Doug, didn’t mean to strike a nerve. I think there is plenty of room (and value) in more in-depth publications like yours, that aren’t just focused on cranking out scores of scores.
My point was really that the reviewers who are well known enough to be attached to wine listings on retailers sites everywhere are kind of undercutting their own value. The internet has changed the model: years ago it made sense to subscribe to Parker, and get a hard copy publication every quarter, because those without the subscription weren’t seeing those reviews (except for a few shelf talkers in a bricks and mortar shop). Today it really doesn’t, particularly for someone like me who knows pretty much what they like, and/or is looking for more obscure wines that I’m more likely to read about here than in a Parker or Galloni pub.
What are delectable wines?
Wines that give much pleasure. Sadly, they are not for sale ANYWHERE. ![[cry.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/853b6e76c6e8406be77a6727c2a27ad1672678b3.gif "cry"){kind=small}
Brilliant!
I enjoy delectable but see it really nothing more than a barebones Instagram for wine. It’s strength lies solely in its user base and simplicity. Personally, I can’t see it bringing much value to my everyday wine enjoyment to validate the monthly fees. I’d rather just have Vinous subscription and link it through CT.
I wish that delectable took some cues from other social apps and improve its search ability and trending sections especially geographically. I would love to use delectable to see what people in my area are drinking and where.
A wine only trends on Delectable when they know of a retailer that is selling it.
Just FYI – looks like they’ve finally alerted its users via e-mail to the changes – posting here for those who haven’t received it or are curious:
Dear Friends,
Thank you for being part of the Delectable community. Since we brought Delectable into the Vinous fold in December last year, our team has been working tirelessly to make the app better than ever. We started by listening to you, the wine (and beer and spirits) lovers who have made Delectable such a success over the years.
The latest version of the app incorporates several features users have asked for:
Price Check: Average prices from Wine-Searcher are now listed for millions of wines. This is the single most requested feature from Delectable users.
Comments: Users can now delete a comment. The ability to fully edit comments is part of a future update.
Transcription: Improved algorithms are matching wines with greater accuracy and speed than in the past.
Featured Content: The Featured tab in Delectable now includes excerpts from Vinous articles such as the 2017 Rosé Roundup and Top California Cabernet Values and details of events that Delectable supports, such as the recent Heart’s Delight Charity Wine Tasting & Auction, and this weekend’s Collisioni Festival of wine, music and literature in Barolo.
Delectable Premium: For $5.99/month, Delectable users can enjoy the app with no advertising, see Vinous’ library of over 250,000 critic reviews and jump to the head of the queue for hard to match wines.
We hope that you enjoy the upgrades and look forward to seeing your next wine on Delectable.
–Delectable
Agree with Mr. Tuite on this one - incredibly annoying, but at this stage will just move past the ads. Wish Galloni had a better product/answer/insight on this front.
I opted out. After posting wine #1,791 on Monday night I went ahead and deleted the app. In addition to Brian’s comments, Andrew’s feedback below probably comes closest to matching my sentiments. I already pay for Vinous content separately. Thought I would just put up with the ads, but as I posted in my final comment, the meter between annoyance and pleasure had flipped to the annoyance side and life is too short for that.
I understand it costs money to support the app, but presumed the monetization would be in steering wine sales through Banquet or partner merchants. There has already been discussion that the only way to make the “Trending” tab is if the wine is for sale. I could certainly afford $72 if I chose to. I do support both WB and CT with voluntary annual donations, but didnt’ feel like paying Vinous for content I already subscribe to, or to remove the ads.
In a way, it is nice to get a couple of hours of my life back each week, and it will be fun to see my wife’s reaction the next time we go to dinner or a wine event, “Wait, why aren’t you taking a picture of that bottle?”
Certainly not advocating anyone else do the same. As we like to say on the board, “Your mileage may vary”. Mine did.
The market speaks! Well done! (I don’t bear Vinous any particular ill will, but when customers vote with their wallets, good things happen).
And thanks to this thread, I was reminded I need to re-up at CT. Thanks all round