WASHINGTON — Deciding between the chef’s nightly special and the always-superb filet is a difficult decision. Ordering a bottle of wine for the table to enjoy with dinner? That’s a task that is downright daunting for many diners.
But a new app can help.
Tipsi, which is free for iPhone and Android, allows diners to review a nearby restaurant’s wine list, browse food and wine pairing suggestions, sort available wines by professional scores and view the glasses and bottles that are the best value — all before a reservation is made.
“Typically you think of that wine-list experience as a list of names and prices or regions, and that all means very little to most people,” says Michael Bell, a George Washington University graduate and CEO of Tipsi.
But Bell wants to change that. He says Tipsi is a dynamic resource that provides a sommelier-like experience for restaurants that might not have one on staff.
Regions, prices and educational information on the winemakers are all available on the app, but so are pairing recommendations. Diners can select the type of dish they plan to order and review the bottles and glasses offered that pair best with their meal. Users can even narrow their options by budget, wine rating, wine style and personal taste preferences.
Those who want to get the most bang for their buck can also peruse wines by their value and markup prices.
According to Tipsi, an $84 bottle of Chateau Lassegue Saint-Emilion Grad Cru Bordeaux Blend at Barcelona Wine Bar on 14th Street has a markup of 0.9, whereas a $38 bottle of Finca y Bodega Carlos Pulenta Corte C Malbec, cabernet sauvignon at the same restaurant has a markup of 3.8.
“People want to make sure they’re getting a good deal,” says Bell.
Another goal of Tipsi, he says, is to encourage diners to explore lesser-known brands and varieties.
“Instead of being chardonnay and cabernet and those major varietals that people know, we’re helping people figure out what Touriga Nacional is. It’s similar to cabernet, but it’s at a much different price point, it’s actually quite unique and different,” Bell says.
“It’s getting people a little outside their comfort zone, but still feeling comfortable enough to do that personal discovery.”
Love what you tried? Tipsi’s new partnership with Wine.com allows customers to purchase their favorite bottles directly through the app.
Bell says Tipsi currently has the wine lists of 3,500 restaurants in New York, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, the Hamptons and California wine country. To keep up with ever-changing menus, Tipsi updates its wine lists about every 30 days.
