Pen & Paper based cellar management

[Keith Talent]

I have approx. 500 bottles I'd like to track using a non-computerised system. Ideally I'd like to use a plain ruled moleskine type notebook only, no fancy forms or anything. I'd like to track price when and where purchased, when to drink and any Parker scores/comments. I'm currently doing this by linear entry into a journal, which is fine but I'm really creating more of a diary of wine purchaes rather than a useable tracking method.

Anyone have any tips/tricks/techniques for tracking wine?

[SBonner]

Keith,

I have a smaller cellar than you and use pen and paper as well. It's a welcome change from having to develope hugh inventory datasbases fro clients etc... also a nice reason to use the Mont Blanc fountain pen my wife gave to me as a gift as well I use a small moleskin folio with the revelent information: date purchased, location, price, vintage and a locator number for my wine fridge and rack. I also keep my tasting notes in it as well.

Cheers,

Stephen

Edited March 27, 2006 by SBonner (log)

[Keith Talent]

The problem is info retreiveal. We track the same thing, but I need some way other than flipping back to find when and where I got the wine. The reason I'm keeping the info is too often you'd go pull a cork with no recollection where or when you got the bottle. Maybe gluing labels with thew pertinent info on the bottles bottom would be better? I have taped the cash register receipt to specific bottles.

Although, vintages will be more or less chronological (ie. most wine bought now is from the early 00's) which should make retreival of data easier in ten years, just find an '02 vinatge for example to locate something bought this year.

[tommy]

a wine cellar lends itself naturally to a computerized database solution. keith, are you comfortable sharing why you're going for a pen-and-paper solution, aside from the obvious romance aspect and whatnot?

[Keith Talent]

I'll never maintain a computer based cellar system. A Moleskine notebook and pen sitting there have no boot up prior to use. If I have to look for the computer, wait for my wife to finish with it, boot it, open a file...blah blah blah I'll never do it. Never mind the fact that I'll never reverse the process when I want to retrive a piece of info. I recognize my tendancy to procrastinate and take the route of least resistance.

[Rebel Rose]

Keith, I think your system is incredibly romantic and in touch with the artistry that fine winemakers invest in their product. May I suggest . . . using small price tags-on-strings with the date of your journal entry.

I use old-fashioned string tags to warn off my ravenous partner. They may have a date, or the name of the giver, or predictions like "Thanksgiving 2008." Or just pithy comments like "Die."

In your case, perhaps a string tag with the date and .0# of your journal entry (similar to antique diaires with multiple daily entries, such as 25.01.87.03).

[tommy]

I'll never maintain a computer based cellar system. A Moleskine notebook and pen sitting there have no boot up prior to use. If I have to look for the computer, wait for my wife to finish with it, boot it, open a file...blah blah blah I'll never do it. Never mind the fact that I'll never reverse the process when I want to retrive a piece of info. I recognize my tendancy to procrastinate and take the route of least resistance.

←

thanks Keith, for that completely reasonable explanation. i'm looking forward to hearing about the possibilities! (although i'm holding back on my suggestion that you keep a pencil/paper log, and update a computerized database - cellartracker.com for example - once a month). either way i can only hope you enjoy all of your bottles!