I’ve been a wine lover for some years now. And I’ve had the good fortune to have been treated to and enjoyed some very wonderful wines with close friends.

The trouble is that I’m not real good about remembering all of the great tasting wines that I’ve pleasured – at least not off the top of my head. At first this was troublesome for me as I struggled to recall the names and vintages. I often jotted the wine info on the back of a paper napkin and collected them in the pocket of my suit coat. Then I’d forget about the wine tasting notes until the next time I wore that suit and stuck my hand in the pocket.

It wasn’t long until I found a way to help my memory. I started to carry a small camera to dinner. As the bottles of wine made their way to our table, I would take a snapshot of the bottles. This proved to be a handy way to extend the range of my memory. Not only did I capture the wine’s name and vintage, the camera also recorded the date (exif data) on which I had the tasting. Often I’d also snap some of the great food that accompanied the wine. It turned out to be a great way to recall not only the dinner and wine but also the friends with whom I dined.

I think you can see how my tasting note scheme works. Here’s some of my notes:

Cheers!