But the most interesting thing I came across, partly because it came from a startup mentioned in class, was from Winc. At the link below, Winc describes the "Palate Profile Quiz" which its clients can take to help the company hone in your wine preferences. Not surprisingly, the first question is how you take your coffee! But while this six question quiz seems like a good place to start for someone who is just getting into wine, I wonder whether the company has any more sophisticated techniques for dedicated users (or at least plans for such). I would think there would be great value in a recommendation engine based on past purchases and / or ratings, similar to, for example, Netflix. This could potentially incorporate a combination of a few of the sources of expertise we discussed in class, perhaps both wine critics and mass ratings, to really hone in on an individual's palate. If someone could do this right, such to the point that after enough input the engine could very reliably recommend new wine products that have a very strong hit rate of the client loving the wine, I would think it would really be a game-changer in the industry.
https://support.winc.com/hc/en-us/articles/222812747-What-is-the-Palate-Profile-Quiz-
Thanks for sharing, Matt. I've always been a black coffee drinker and a fan of Pinot Noir, but didn't realize there might be a connection there. I mentioned in the make-up session on Friday that I "usually buy Pinot, but have no idea why". It's interesting to hear that the same bitterness tolerance that makes me enjoy my coffee black and makes me order Lagunitas IPA from time-to-time may be the same reason I like Pinot Noir.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting, though, that as a consumer I am much more aware of how my appreciation of bitter tastes translates to my love of black coffee and IPAs. With those products, I'm keenly aware that I like the taste of darker, more bitter roasts in coffee and enjoy beers with higher IBUs. But when it comes to wines, I don't have the same perceptions of different varietals. Of course, this could be because I'm simply a more sophisticated beer consumer than wine consumer. So I wonder whether my ignorance is a function of marketing or education? Are winemakers reluctant to market their wines as bitter? Or does everyone know that Pinot Noir means bitter and I'm just clueless?