Remember What You Poured the Night Friends Came Over

Last night, friends came over. We opened a few bottles of wine. We laughed, talked, and refilled our glasses. It was a good night.

This morning, I look at the empty bottles on the table. What was that wine? Who brought which bottle? Which one did I want to drink again? I want to buy the same one, but I don't know its name.

The memory of a taste fades faster than you'd think. What survives to the morning is the feeling — "that was fun."

First, the answer: three things. A photo of the label, whose it was, one line about it

You don't need to wonder what to save. Just three things.

On the night itself, all you do is take the photo. Add the one line the next morning, looking back at the photo — then you can tell which one you want to drink again.

Take the photo before you open the bottle. Once it's open, the label gets wet and the bottle gets passed around. After pouring, you can't tell which glass came from which bottle.

On a night with several bottles, save them in the order you drank them

One bottle is easy — a single photo does it. On a night when two or three bottles get opened, the order matters. If your impressions of the first and second bottles get mixed up, you won't know which was which the next morning.

Save them in the order you drank them. That's all. Each time a new bottle is opened, photograph the label — on a night when several bottles get opened, you won't know which was which the next morning otherwise. Add the one line the next morning, looking back at the photo.

If you use the star rating, give it the next morning, looking back at the photo. Stars are private — a record for yourself alone. The 1–5 stars are not a score; use them as a guide for "do I want this again." If rating feels like a chore, skip it. One line about the wine is enough.

On a night when many bottles get opened, three guest entries may not be enough. Sign up and you can record up to 30 bottles free.

What your record tells you the next morning

The next morning, lay your records out side by side. Three things remain.

• The name of the wine you want to drink again
• Who brought it
• What you thought of it that night

If you want to buy the same one again, knowing the name is enough to look for it. At a shop, the name plus what you felt — "it was light" or "it was crisp" — is enough to tell the staff.

→ What to Ask the Staff at a Wine Shop｜PourPin

A bottle a friend brought belongs in your record, too. The record is for yourself. Add whose it was, and next time you meet you can say, "that wine was good, wasn't it?"

Q&A: wine on a night with friends

Q1. Is photographing the label enough?
The name stays. But a photo alone won't tell you the next morning which one you want again. Add one line about it the next morning, looking back at the photo, and the record becomes a guide to your own taste.

Q2. What if I forgot to take a photo?
If the empty bottle is still there, you can photograph it in the morning. If the bottle is already gone, scroll back through your phone photos or social media posts. Someone may have photographed the label.

Q3. What if rating with stars feels like a chore?
Skip it. "Want it again" or "that's enough" is enough. Stars are only a guide for yourself — a record doesn't fail for lack of them.

Q4. What if I recorded the bottles in the wrong order?
Don't worry about it. If the name and what you thought of it are there, the record still works. The order is only a way to tell two or more bottles apart.

Q5. Is it rude to take notes in front of friends?
No. Photographing a label takes a few seconds. Saying "this one was good" while you take the photo makes it part of the conversation. How to photograph a label is covered here.

→ Tips for Photographing a Wine Label｜PourPin

In short

• You forget last night's wine because its name and what you thought of it were never written down on the spot.
• Save three things: a photo of the label, whose it was, and one line about it.
• On a night with several bottles, photograph them in the order you drank them. On the night itself, the work is one photo per bottle.
• Stars are private, for yourself alone. You don't need them — one line about the wine is enough.
• Lay the records out the next morning, and you'll know which one you want again.

Today's one action: try recording once, with tonight's bottle. Photograph the label before opening — that's all for tonight. Add one line tomorrow morning, looking back at the photo.

If you open a bottle with someone tonight, photograph the label before it's empty. One line the next morning — whose it was, what you thought — is all it takes to keep it. "Want it again" or "that's enough" — that one line will be your guide when you choose the same bottle at the next home party.

Keep a record of each bottle as you drink it. POURPIN records up to 30 bottles free, and you can try 3 as a guest without signing up. Photograph the label and it reads the name, producer, region, and importer. Once your records build up, Premium (¥300/month or ¥3,000/year) adds detailed search and Export (CSV/JSON).