Sommelier Journal
Sommelier Journal is a curated tasting log — appearance, nose, palate, finish, a 1–100 score, and a recommendation type (By the Glass, By the Bottle, Cellar Reserve, Special Occasions, Events/Banquet, or Not Recommended) per wine. It is about sensory notes and curation, distinct from Wine Cellar (stock counts) and Wine & Beverage List (the priced menu).
Overview
Each tasting entry records Wine Name, Vintage, Type, Region, Grape Variety, Producer, Tasted Date, and Source (Cellar Tasting, Supplier Sample, Staff Training, Guest Recommendation, Competition/Fair, Import Discovery).
A 1–100 Score is colour-coded (green 90+, blue 85–89, amber 80–84, muted below) and used to sort the journal, highest score first, by default.
Sensory notes are captured across four dedicated fields: Appearance, Nose (Aroma), Palate, and Finish, plus a separate internal Sommelier Notes field for decanting time, service temperature, or stock recommendations.
Food Pairings (17 preset tags like Grilled Meats, Seafood, Indian Curry, Cheese Board) and Provenance/Dietary Tags (Vegan, Organic, Biodynamic, Natural/Low-Intervention, Sulphite-Free, Vegetarian) can both be multi-selected per entry.
Each entry can be printed as a standalone tasting card — useful for pre-service staff briefings so waiters can speak confidently about a wine's profile and pairings.
Before You Start
- You must have the Billing feature enabled on your plan.
Step-by-Step Guide
1 Add a tasting note
- Open Bar & Beverage → Sommelier Journal and click "Add Note".
- On Wine Details, enter the Wine Name, Vintage, Type, Region, Grape Variety, Producer, Tasted Date and Source, then set the Recommendation and Score.
- Switch to Tasting Notes and fill in Appearance, Nose, Palate, Finish, and any internal Sommelier Notes.
- Switch to Pairing & Tags to select Food Pairings and Provenance/Dietary tags, then click "Add Note".
2 Brief staff before service
- Open an existing entry and click "Print Card" to generate a standalone tasting card with the score, tasting notes, and food pairings for a pre-service briefing.
3 Search and filter the journal
- Use the search box (matches wine name, producer, region, or grape) plus the Type and Recommendation filter chips to narrow the list — entries are always shown highest-score first.
Every Field & Button, Explained
| Field / Button | What it does |
|---|---|
Type | Red, White, Rosé, Sparkling, Champagne, Dessert/Sweet, Fortified, or Orange/Skin-Contact. |
Recommendation | By the Glass, By the Bottle, Cellar Reserve, Special Occasions, Events/Banquet, or Not Recommended — colour-coded and filterable. |
Score (1–100) | A Parker/Wine-Spectator-style point score; drives the default sort order (highest first) and colour-coding. |
Appearance / Nose / Palate / Finish | Free-text sensory tasting fields, shown expanded on the entry card and included on the printed tasting card. |
Food Pairings / Provenance-Dietary Tags | Both multi-select chip lists — pairings are guest-facing recommendations, provenance/dietary tags cover things like Vegan, Organic, Biodynamic. |
Tips & Best Practices
- Use "Print Card" as a training tool right before a shift where a new or unusual wine is being pushed — it gives waiters exact language to describe it.
- Fill in all four sensory fields (Appearance, Nose, Palate, Finish) even briefly — a partial tasting note is much less useful for staff training than a complete one.
- Keep the Recommendation field honest, including using "Not Recommended" for wines that did not taste well — it prevents a bad bottle from being pushed to guests later.