Questions That Confound

Suppose somebody was telling you about the grapes and wines that they like and those that they don't. And, further suppose that the background for those questions made no sense. What do you do?

For brackground, I was sitting with someone that I really did not know beyond having made a little small talk previously The setting was a large group dinner and we just happened to be next to each other.

The discussion turned to wine and interestingly, I didn't take it there. It started with white wine and I learned that this person likes Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, but not Pinot Gris. Listening on, I learned that Pinot Gris comes from Oregon and they don't taste as good as Pinot Grigio (yes, they are the same grape as "gris" is French for grey and "grigio" is Italian for grey. The names are interchangeable and in the US, the difference is largely marketing or branding.

Moving on to the reds, I learned that this same person sometimes like Merlot and usually likes Aussie Shiraz, but really dislikes Cabernet Sauvignon. Okay, I get the difference between Merlot and Cebernet, but the basic profiles of Shiraz and Cebernet are pretty similar. Both tend to be high in alcohol, moderately dry, of medium acidity, and quite tannic. And, this person couldn't be more specific.

So, wanting to understand as they wanted to know what else they would like, I began to ask questions. What I learned was that in white wines, they really like crisp orchard fruit (pear and apple). And, in red wines ... well, with regard to red wines, I am still confounded. Sometimes, there are just no explanations.

But, this goes well to any situation where someone is seeking guidance based on your (purported, in my case) expertise. The more information someone can give you, the better you are able to help them. And, often that means asking questions.

What exactly do you like about that wine? Does it smell good? Taste good? Feel good? What is the first thing about it that makes you happy? Even, what foods do you like because that might give a clue.

In this case, however, I got nowhere. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. 

Oh well. Meybe next time I can be more useful.