Every time I work at a wine tasting people ask me the same question: “How can I tell which style of wine I like? or “I like soft wine, can you tell me which style that is?” At first I started asking if they like white or red and if they would drink the wine with food, but that encounter left the customer with more questions than answers. I started looking for a better way to help customers decide their wine preference and came upon a simple questionnaire that I adjusted to my customer base. Here it is:

Do you like coffee? How do you like it?

Expresso, black, no cream or sugar

Cortado (little milk and sugar)

Cappuccino (more milk)

Latte (very creamy, lots of milk)

Do you like fruit juice? Which is your preference? 

Apple Juice or Orange/Grapefruit Juice

 What dessert do you tend to go to?

Vanilla Ice Cream

Key Lime Pie

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Mousse

Flan or Creme Brulee

Apple Pie

COFFEE LOVERS:

The blacker, the more acidity and strong body they like and the preference would be Red Wine from the Old World. New World Reds if the preference was more milk like Lattes and Cappuccinos.

JUICE LOVERS: 

Prefer White Wine, apple juice lovers like softer, less acidic styles whereas citrus lovers enjoy acid and tartness.

DESSERT LOVERS:

Vanilla Ice Cream lovers and flan eaters tend to like Creamy White Wine (ex, Chardonnay and Viognier), Key Lime Pie eaters go for higher acidity and tart Whites like Albarino. Apple pie people like frutier Whites like Riesling.

Chocolate cake lovers love fuller body red wine from the Old World, whereas chocolate mousse people enjoy lighter body reds like Pinot Noir .