In traditional wine talk, red wine is the perfect complement to steak, whereas fish goes wonderfully with a lovely white wine.
But rather than following these conventional pairings, scientists are now suggesting that you choose your drink using another guide. And this depends on what ‘vinotype’ you are.
There are four types of wine drinker, or vinotypes, which people adhere to, which has been analysed in a study, carried out by researchers at Michigan State University, Mail Online reports.
The report, published in the International Journal of Wine Business Research, suggests that instead of the standard pairings, servers should consider the individual preferences of consumers.
For example, if you don’t like red wine, then you should choose a wine of your own taste even if paired with red meat. It’s all about the wine drinker trusting their own palate.
Carl Borchgrevink, a chef and restaurant manager, led the study. He said: ‘The palate rules – not someone else’s idea of which wine we should drink with our food.
‘They shouldn’t try to intimidate you into buying a certain wine. Instead, they should be asking you what you like.’
Borchgrevink collaborated with cooking expert Allan Sherwin in the first study into chef Tim Hanni’s theory of the four vinotypes, which posits that genetics and environment have a part to play in our wine tastes. Hanni is one of the first American’s to receive the ‘Master of Wine’ qualification.
4 PRIMARY VINOTYPES, ACCORDING TO TIM HANNI
1. Sweet
People in this type, prefer wines that are light, delicate, sweet and full of flavour. Stronger tasting alcoholic beverages may not be to the taste of this type of drinker, so they can be fairly picky. This category has a strong majority of female drinkers.
2. Hypersensitive
Drinkers within this category are also fairly choosy, and prefer clean, crisp wines. They are normally highly sensitive to things in general, such as changes in temperatures and loud noises.
3. Sensitive
This category has the most people within it, who enjoy a wide variety of wine tastes. Flexible and adventurous, they can go from delicate whites to full-bodied reds. In life, they are typically more free-spirited.
4. Tolerant
The tolerant type desire intense flavours and don’t understand why some prefer light and delicate wines. In life, this type tends to be straightforward and decisive. A rich, full-bodied red would be their ideal tipple.
