If you’ve ever been a bit intimidated by wine enthusiasts who drop phrases like “tannins” and “slow legs,” you’re certainly not alone. Wine consumption has been long assumed to be an elite art, but really, drinking wine is just as subjective as listening to music: there are loud and soft notes, and “good” vs. “bad” is a matter of opinion. Once you learn to decipher and describe your tastes and likings, however, it’s easy to find other wines you’ll enjoy, and sound like the expert yourself. And the best way to do so is by drinking up.
Wine lovers have started to embrace the fact that experience is the best way to discover your favorite wines. That's why Tasting Room is now the fastest-growing wine club in the nation. It helps you understand the wines you like best through your experiences with their exclusive Tasting Kit, and tailors future wine shipments to match your preferences.
When you sign up for Tasting Room, the club sends you six mini wines, which come expertly bottled with state-of-the-art equipment like their full-sized versions. You then log on to the site, and complete an interactive tasting. Pour, smell, and taste each wine then click on the ones you prefer in head-to-head matchups. Which wines did you like best?
Each bottle has different sugar, tannin, alcohol and acid levels, and your taste buds’ perception of each of these elements will help determine which types of wine you’re most likely to enjoy. Take note of the flavors in each wine, and think of the first taste or smell that comes to mind, no matter how far out: woody, fruity, spicy, nutty, perhaps some dark chocolate notes? It’s your palate so there’s no wrong answer, but Tasting Room will help guide you on the terminology until you get the swing of it.
After rating, Tasting Room will instantly populate your preferences in the form of a Wine Profile. It’s a straightforward guide that explains the types of wine you prefer (in both red and white categories), and how to describe them. The guide also recommends varietals you should try next, what to look for in wine shops and restaurants, and contains fun wine charts that point out where your tastes fall on the spectrum. It even specifies your preferred wine regions, and the best food pairings.
Now the best part...the wine that follows! Tasting Room tailors each bottle to match your Wine Profile before shipping a variety case to you. It's well worth it at under 10 bucks to join (that gets you your tasting kit), and you can cancel at anytime. You can check out their site for more details.
Update: The folks at Tasting Room are extending a special offer to Popdust readers! Follow this link to get your wine tasting kit for only $6.95 (originally $39.95)!