When we say we recommend a St. Vincent with Pork, or a Reserved Chardonel with a smoked cheese—please keep in mind those are just suggestions. I’ve been reading a book called “Why You Like the Wines You Like” by Tim Hanni and in it he shares that sometimes when we are adamant about pairing certain wines with certain foods it can be a turn off. You may have been told in the past that you should drink a full-body dry red wine with steak or a dessert wine with cake. Some people, will tend to think, they don’t like a dry red wine or a port wine, so they just won’t have any wine with their steak or dessert because they don’t want to be outcasted for it.
You may prefer a sweet white wine all of the time and you want that with your steak—that’s ok. And that’s what this book is about. It brings me to a saying my Dad used to say and now we laugh about it when we remember him, but it’s so true—“Don’t Tell Me what I like!” and you shouldn’t let people tell you what you like or pour what you don’t like. That’s why wine tastings are so good to do. Even if you choose a wine that is out of your normal palette. Your tastes may change with age and your sweetness level may change, but you don’t realize it until you try. Everyone’s taste buds are different—some are hyper-sensitive and many are not. But that can affect the style of wine—sweet or dry that you like.
In this book Hanni talks about how to find out your wine preference. He has a little quiz to take for fun that comes out of this book to determine your “Vinotype Sensitivity Self Assessment”
(By each answer there is a number—add your numbers up at the end to determine your Vinotype.) -From “Why You Like The Wines You Like – Changing the way the world thinks about wine.” By Tim Hanni, Master of Wine Chapter 4 What’s your Vinotype?
Gender
0 Male
3 Female
Salted Snacks such as nuts, pretzels, potato chips
0 I find most snacks too salty
1 Yeah, I like salty snacks
3 Yum! I am addicted to salty snacks
Salt preferences (try to answer by your taste preference, not from a health standpoint)
0 I find may foods too salty
1 Food usually tastes fine as is and/or I add a modest amount of salt when I cook.
1 I avoid salt for health reasons (but if you really want to add more, select how much)
2 I usually add a little extra salt to my food, or would like to but don’t for health reasons
3 People give me a hard time for adding too much salt.
Coffee or Tea
Describe the perfect cup of coffee or tea:
0 I like it very strong (expresso or black tea: English Breakfast tea).
1 I like it strong (Starbucks, Peet’s or Earl Grey Tea)
2 I like it medium (the weak coffee served at work, green or herbal tea)
3 Coffee tastes so horrible I can’t stand it.
Sugar in your Coffee
0 I drink coffee/tea with no sugar
1 A touch
2 One teaspoon or the equivalent
3 Two or more teaspoons
How do artificial sweeteners in diet soda taste? (Try to answer by your taste preference and not from a health standpoint)
0 No taste problem (whether or not you choose to use them)
1 I don’t know—I’ve never tried diet soda in my life
1 Tastes funny, but not too bad
2 I can tell a big difference but have adapted OR some are much better than others.
3 Yuck! They taste horrible
Cream/Milk
0 I drink coffee black
1 Touch of cream or milk
2 Moderate cream or milk
3 Lots of cream or milk
Do you enjoy coffee with steamed milk or flavoring such as almond, vanilla, Irish Cream?
0 No!
1 Cappuccino, latte, or café’ au lait-but not flavorings
2 Sometimes
3 Yes
Bonus Question: do you enjoy an occasional drink of straight Scotch, Cognac, or Armagnac?
-3 Yes
0 Sometimes
1 No Way
“Now add up your score to get your Sensitivity Quotient Score. This score will determine into which of the four taste sensitivity groups you fall. “
Taste SQ score 15 to 25: Sweet
Taste SQ Score 15 to 25: Hypersensitive (the main difference between you and the sweet Vinotype if you prefer mostly dry wines)
Taste SQ Score 5 to 15: Sensitive
Taste SQ Score -3 to 7: Tolerant
What does this mean?
Sweet: People in this group tend to be the most sensitive. If this is you, you may also be sensitive to light, sound, touch, smell, and taste. According to Hanni, these individuals prefer the sweet tastes to hide the bitterness or alcohol level. They also tend to use a lot of salt in their food.
Hypersensitive: Like the sweeties, Hypersensitive’s live in a vivid and intense sensory world of taste, smell, light, sound, and touch. They are also artistic and may have attention deficit disorders. If you fall into this category, you are more likely to discover the intensity of the wine and can note complexness in the flavors.
Sensitive: You go with the flow. You’re open to trying new things, and believe variety is the spice of life. You are the mediator in your family. You want everyone to be a part of the team and will go with whatever the rest of your party wants. Eventually you will seek more balanced wines.
Tolerant: You like things bigger, faster, and stronger which equates to better. Big red wines are the favorites. Intensity is the name of the game, and you would rather “go big or go home”. Tolerants’ also want the wines they choose be something they love and don’t care if it’s the recommended pairing for a dish/meal—they have it with whatever.
Take the Quiz and email me your results at tastings@shamrockhillsvineyard.com and I’ll send you a coupon for a free wine tasting of 4 our wines on your next visit. Offer valid through July 6, 2025.
So what does all of this mean when it comes to wine and food pairing? Whether you are Sweet (which I know all of you have sweet personalities), hypersensitive, sensitive, or tolerant, you like what you like when it comes to wine and you shouldn’t let others tell you what that is. Take tasting room staff with a grain of salt—they may encourage you to try something out of your norm and that’s ok, but also keep in mind they won’t be offended if you don’t like it because everyone is different. And the same goes with pairing it with food. If you prefer a Sweet Vignoles with your steak, enjoy! If you prefer a dry Crimson Cabernet with your birthday cake, go for it! Don’t let food pairings or people deter you from enjoying or being embarrassed about what you like or don’t like when it comes to wine. You are who you are and we love you all at Shamrock Hills Vineyard and Winery.