Let's Talk Wine

I have grown to appreciate wine over the past few years in part due to my parents and in part due to my dislike of beer. In fact, one of the very first times I met my husband, he remembers me politely declining his beer, only to respond by describing my strong interest for wine instead. For as long as I can remember, my mom has used wine as a treat at the end of the day – a way to relax and live in the moment. My dad on the other hand started loving wine most likely through numerous business meetings and events. He grew to love everything about wine and through the years I have seen him develop his own taste and preferences. I have also seen him become more sophisticated in his knowledge of the industry. I always lean to him when looking for a wine recommendation and am rarely disappointed. 

One thing that I have been left questioning is this idea of price and quality. As Sunny mentioned in her post, humans perceive a higher price to indicate higher quality. I too have fallen for this before. In the context of entertaining and “wining and dining”, I would be interested to understand how perceptions or feelings towards a host or business partner might change based on the price of the wine or even the design of the bottle label.

When looking for research in this area, I found an interesting article from the WSJ. It says, “Successful business people are supposed to be able to identify value — and the wine list is no exception.” So how might one person accomplish this without any wine knowledge? The answer described indicates “cheating” by studying the wine list ahead of time and making an informed and knowledgeable decision. For others who may not have the time to invest ahead of time, simply asking the sommelier for help and admitting your weakness in wine selection is an easy and honest choice. Each of these choices seems like reasonable solutions that would not be harmful to building a business relationship!

For me, when choosing a wine at dinner, I have often relied on brand names that I am familiar with – typically brands that I saw frequently around the house. By taking this class, I hope to develop a foundation to begin establishing my own personal taste palette and understanding of the industry. Additionally, I have loved learning more about how wine is positioned in the market and the numerous strategies that are embedded in launching each brand.