Back in 2017, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) launched its Tasting Notes app with bold claims. Designed to help users create structured wine tasting notes using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting (SAT), the app was positioned as a modern, mobile companion for wine students and enthusiasts alike. Seven years later, the verdict is in: the app is largely a failure—and a telling example of how WSET has fallen behind in the digital age.
The initial pitch was promising. Available for free on iOS and Android, the app offered a pre-loaded database of over 300 wine-producing regions and 100 grape varieties. It let users taste wines blind or not, upload label photos, and log notes using a standardized lexicon of aromas and flavors. It was supposed to be simple, consistent, and professional. In theory, it was a digital extension of WSET’s educational model.
But in practice? It never evolved.
The user reviews tell the story. On the App Store, the WSET Tasting Notes app has hovered around a mediocre 2.9-star rating, with complaints ranging from poor functionality to a lack of updates. Basic features—like editing saved notes, syncing across devices, or filtering by more than one field—are still absent. Despite a minor bug fix update in January 2025, the app remains stagnant, neglected, and outdated.
WSET claimed the app would be useful to professionals and students alike. Instead, it functions more like a static demo for their SAT methodology than a real tool for modern wine drinkers. There’s no social sharing, no cloud backup, and no way to integrate with broader platforms or education tools. Compared to more robust wine apps like Vivino, CellarTracker, or even Cor.kz (now defunct but once well ahead of its time), WSET’s offering looks more like a PowerPoint presentation in app form.
What’s more revealing is that WSET has done little to improve or expand its app strategy. In an industry increasingly shaped by tech—where digital tasting logs, AI wine pairings, and virtual classrooms are the norm—WSET’s lack of follow-through signals a broader institutional reluctance to adapt.
This isn’t just about a bad app. It’s about a global education provider failing to meet its own standards for innovation. For a company that touts its SAT as a model of objectivity and consistency, WSET’s approach to digital learning tools feels anything but systematic.
The Tasting Notes app may still be available for download, but it now serves less as a helpful resource and more as a reminder of a missed opportunity. WSET had the brand authority and global reach to set the bar for digital wine education. Instead, they published a prototype and never looked back.
