Kolonialen Bislett is run by Swede, and ex-Maaemo (with its three Michelin stars) partner, Pontus Dahlström.

In the heart of the Bislett area in Oslo they serve brilliant food in a relaxed atmosphere, but it is their 800+ wine list that attract many of Oslo’s wine connoisseurs to their doorsteps.

To manage their extensive wine cellar, Kolonialen relies entirely on Vinify.

We had a chat with Kolonialen to learn more about how they use the software.

How are you using Vinify day to day in the restaurant?

We use Vinify daily from receiving shipments, locating bottles in the cellar during service and double checking quantities.

What are the most valuable use cases you experience?

Vinify gives us full control over our wine cellar. It's easy to maintain and make changes, like moving wine between locations. We can use our phones on the go, which makes it simple to update the system directly.

We've managed to maximize space in the cellar and save a lot of time on maintenance and organization.

The system is smooth to use, and the filtering and search functions make it easy to find what needs to be updated or changed.

You previously, like most restaurants, used Excel to manage your cellar. How has that changed?

Excel is completely out of the picture now.

With large wine cellars, managing many locations in the cellar is a huge part of the job. How is Kolonialen using Vinify for this purpose?

With Vinify, we create locations for deliveries that haven't yet been added to the cellar. For example, we can set up a location for wines expected to arrive next week or next month (future allocations). This gives us an overview of what’s coming as soon as the allocation is approved. When the delivery arrives, we check the prices and quantities, then move the wine to the specific location or shelf we want in the cellar.

We use a folder in Vinify for each shelf, which helps us filter during stock counts and locate the wine easily, especially since we have mixed bottles on the shelves.

One of Vinify’s main features is the stock count feature, both on the computer or using the native Vinify app for iOS and Android.

What are the most useful parts of the stock count functionality?

With Vinify, it's quick and easy to check what's expected in stock and where it should be located. We can filter by location, so we're only dealing with the specific shelf we're counting. It also helps us see what’s missing in the cellar or if we’ve overlooked anything during the count.

We save time every time we do stock count now.

Using the 'uncounted only' feature, we can easily review what’s missing from specific locations or what needs to be deleted or updated in the system.

How did you do this before you started using Vinify?

Before, we used an Excel file that everyone had to share and update, which meant sharing documents, sending files, and risking mistakes.

How are you using the automatic stock count reports that you get from Vinify?

We like that all our stock counts are saved and easily accessible in Vinify. We can print the report and keep a copy in the cellar, as well as send it to accounting. Having the reports saved in Vinify ensures quick access whenever we need them.

With Vinify you can export your stock count report to both Excel and PDF. Are you using the PDF export option er the Excel option?

We prefer receiving the report in PDF format since it can’t be altered, giving us peace of mind knowing the counts are secure.

Thanks for taking the time and sharing your best practices with us, Kolonialen.

To book a table with Kolonialen and check out their wine list for yourself, check out: https://www.kolonialenbislett.no/reservations