When the pipe burst, 200 labels were washed away. I tried to list the bottles from memory for the insurance claim: “I think I had a 1982 Latour… or was it a 1983?” The adjuster stopped me. “Without proof of ownership—a receipt or a dated inventory log—we can’t pay for high-value items.” I realized my messy spreadsheet from 2024 wasn’t going to cut it.
Key Takeaways
- “If it’s not logged, it doesn’t exist”: In 2026, insurers expect digital records. A vague memory is not proof of loss.
- CellarTracker is the Industry Standard: Adjusters know and trust CellarTracker (CT). A timestamped CT export is often accepted as “Proof of Ownership” even without the original purchase receipt.
- The “Bulk Upload” Trap: If you uploaded your whole cellar on the day after the fire, they will flag it as fraud. The logs must pre-date the loss.
- Photos are Mandatory: An entry in an app is good. An entry with a photo of the bottle in your rack is bulletproof.
The “Why” (The Trap)
The trap is “Burden of Proof.” The insurance contract states the insured must “prove the loss.”
If you have a “Blanket” policy (unitemized), you don’t need to list every bottle before the loss, but you must list them after the loss to get paid. If you can’t remember them, or can’t prove you owned them, you get paid $0.
The Investigation (I Called Them)
I asked claims specialists about acceptable proof.
The Adjuster’s View
- “I see people try to claim Pappy Van Winkle after a fire, but they have no photos and no receipts. We deny those. If they show me a CellarTracker history showing they added it three years ago and consumed other bottles, I believe the data.”
The Tech Solution (InVintory / CellarTracker)
- InVintory: Uses 3D modeling. You can show the adjuster exactly where the bottle was on the wall.
- CellarTracker: The “Purchase Date” and “Store” fields are critical. If you leave them blank, the data is less convincing.
Comparison Table
| Proof Type | Credibility Level | Effort Required |
| Original Receipt | Gold Standard | High (keeping paper) |
| CellarTracker (Dated) | Silver Standard | Medium (Scanning) |
| Photos of Rack | Bronze Standard | Low (Snap once a year) |
| Excel Spreadsheet | Low (Easily faked) | Medium |
| Memory | Zero | None |
Step-by-Step Action Plan
- Sync Your App Weekly: Don’t let your digital cellar get out of date.
- Take a “Pan Scan” Video: Once a month, walk through your cellar recording a video. Sweep across every shelf. Upload this to the cloud. This 2-minute habit can save you $100,000.
- [IMAGE: Phone screen showing a video recording of wine racks]
- Back Up the CSV: Export your CellarTracker data to a CSV file and email it to yourself. This creates an immutable timestamp in your email server.
- Log the “Drink By” Dates: This helps establish value. If you claim a wine that was 20 years past its prime, the adjuster might argue it was worthless.
FAQ
Do I need receipts for every bottle?
For bottles under $1,000, usually no—a log is fine. For bottles over $5,000, yes, or an appraisal.
What if I didn’t inventory the ‘daily drinkers’?
Estimate the count (e.g., “50 bottles of mixed table wine @ $30 avg”). Insurers usually accept this for low-value bulk claims.