The Everyday Sommelier

We interviewed a total of eight people, ranging from novices to experts regarding their knowledge about wine.

Guiding questions

• last time you went to the store, or wherever, describe the experience and your thought process
• last time you bought wine for yourself
• last time you bought wine for a friend/someone else
• last time you recommended a wine to someone else
• what do you order when you go to a restaurant
• wine and cheese party – how did you prepare or choose what to provide

Findings:

Most of the users bought wines which were easily available at grocery stores. Some of the users knew the nearby shops in which the wines of their choice could be found. Grape, winery, age, vintage, price and the region were the popular criteria used for choosing the wines.

People often perceive the taste of the wine based on the description written on the bottle. All users read the description and looked for keywords to find the wine of their choice.

Most of the users did not trust the waiter's recommendations except if they went to restaurants which sold house wines.

Food and mood often affect

People chose smooth and sweet wines as gifts.