The short answer
Anyone looking for a Vivino alternative usually wants two things: to keep their own ratings and to manage their own cellar better. Vivino lets you export your data as a ZIP file; it contains a wine list with your ratings and notes. You take this list over into Gustofolio and do not start from zero.
Why people look for a Vivino alternative
For many, Vivino is their first wine app: photograph the label, see other people's ratings, done. Over time expectations grow. If you have your own cellar, you want to track location, stock and drinking window. If you also drink beer, whisky or gin, you want everything in one place.
Then there is the question of whose judgment counts. Vivino combines ratings from many people with a wine shop. If you would rather know what suits your own taste, you look for an app that learns mainly from your own ratings.
What a good alternative should do
An alternative is only worth it if it takes over your existing data. Beyond that, it should do well what you have been missing.
- Import your Vivino ratings and notes
- Recognize wines from a photo of the label, including German ones
- Manage your own cellar with location and quantity
- Show drinking windows and matching dishes
- Learn your taste and explain its recommendations
- Handle other drinks besides wine
- Let you export everything again
How to export your data from Vivino
You start the export in your Vivino account. It is easiest on a computer at vivino.com. Vivino puts the file together; that can take a while.
- Sign in to Vivino, click your profile picture at the top right and then Settings
- Open the Account management tab
- At the very bottom, under Export your data, click Start export
- When it says Ready to download, save the ZIP file
- Unzip the file: the folder vivino_data contains full_wine_list.csv
What comes along and what does not
For the move you only need the wine list full_wine_list.csv and, if present, the cellar list cellar.csv. Gustofolio takes over the wines with your ratings and notes from it. If you scanned a wine several times, one entry is created with your most recent rating and all notes.
Wines without your own rating go into your collection as finished, onto your wishlist or nowhere, as you choose. Label photos, Vivino's average rating and the location of your scans are not taken over.
The ZIP file also contains account data such as your email address, your sign-in locations and devices. Nobody needs those for the move, so Gustofolio does not accept the ZIP file or these account files at all.
After the move: cellar, taste, recommendations
As soon as your ratings are in, they feed into your taste profile. Gustofolio then suggests wines that suit you and says what each suggestion is based on. You photograph new bottles as usual; location and quantity are added.
A second import with the same file creates no duplicates. So you can export again later and catch up if you use Vivino in parallel for a while.
Frequently asked questions about a Vivino alternative
These questions almost always come up before the move.
Will I lose my ratings if I switch?
Not if you export first. The wine list contains your ratings and notes; you take them into the new app.
Can I use Vivino and Gustofolio in parallel?
Yes. Many keep Vivino for a while and import their data again later. No duplicate entries are created.
Do my label photos come along?
No. The wines with your ratings and notes are taken over. You take new photos in Gustofolio as soon as you have a bottle in hand again.
