A free iPhone app could help wine lovers to find the perfect chateau d'Yquem or Ducru-Beaucaillou, after it was launched by Wine Spectator magazine.

The VintageChart+ allows drinkers to compare the quality of wines across a number of different regions and vintages, helping them to make the best choice when they find an unfamiliar bottle.

Information from the Wine Spectator's writers, including ratings, recommendations on drinking age and descriptions of the climate's impact on the character of wines is continually updated in the app.

Additionally, the program contains Google Maps of wine regions, editorial content and a live news feed.

"By porting Wine Spectator's best in-class content into a mobile context, we can better help wine consumers, whether they're in a wine store, at a restaurant, or in their home cellars," said Marvin R Shanken, chairman of publisher M Shanken Communications.

A Bordeaux trade body is to launch its own mobile app in October in an effort to update the region's image, according to decanter.com.