Types of wine personalities

Why is it that people have their very specific wine preferences? Are the wine preferences of the people dependent just on taste, or, is a larger personality factor determinant of what type of wine is liked by them? Marketers of wines are always interested in knowing what personality traits of a person is more likely to buy a particular type of wine rather than the other. Can these personality traits correlated with the wine types across populations bring out same results? Well, here are some of the most common observations by Myers-Briggs on what type of wine is bought by people of a particular personality-

A) Extroverts- Zinfandel, Pinot Noir
B) Flexible, Tolerant & Pragmatic- Malbec
C) Outgoing, Exuberant & Accepting- Zinfandel
D) Warm, Imaginative & Loves to be Appreciated- Carmenere
E) Outspoken, Resourceful & Good at Reading Others- Sangiovese
F) Realistic, Decisive & Organized- Tempranillo
G) Cooperative, Conscientious & Loyal-Grenache
H) Empathetic, Responsible & Helper-at-heart-Merlot
I) Decisive, Systematic and a Leader- Nebbiolo
J) Quiet, Serious & Logically Working Towards Goals- Barbera
K) Quiet, Friendly & Loyal- Petit Verdot
L) Insightful, Conscientious & Visionary- Syrah
M) Driven, Independent & Holds High Standards- Cabernet Sauvignon
N) Tolerant, Flexible & The Quiet Observer- Mourvedre
O) Sensitive, Friendly & in the Moment- Gamay
P) Idealistic, Loyal & an Understander- Cabernet Franc
Q) Focused, Skeptical & an Abstract Thinker- Pinot Noir

You might be wondering what use this can this information be put to. For the marketers who want to establish what other products wine-drinkers might be interested in the most, this bit of information on their personality trait is crucial.
It is important to understand that many of these traits can overlap with one another as personalities are complex and can not be segregated on the basis of compartments. Therefore, the wine personalities mentioned herein are, at best, indicative. While these might aid marketers as secondary or perhaps tertiary source of information, these shall not be held as primary parameters for marketing purposes.

McLaren Vale Wineries - A Brief Introduction

McLaren Vale is an Australian Geographical Indication for the purpose of wine-making. Geographically, vale is referred to a valley. Therefore, this region is a valley of river. McLaren Vale is essentially of triangular shape and is bounded on three sides. Adelaide lies to its north, the St Vincent gulf to the west and the Mt Lofty Ranges to the east and south. McLaren Vale is both a region and a small township within it. In fact, the region derives its name from the township. The grape growing areas within this are Old Reynella, Willunga, Aldinga, McLaren Vale Flat and McLaren Vale.

The importance of the region lies in the fact that this is an important food and wine region of Australia. Due to its well-recognized wine industry, it is also included in the Great Wine Capitals of the World. The region has been named after John McLaren who conducted the surveyed this region. However, some people argue that the naming was after David McLaren, the colonial manager of South Australia Company.

The first vines in this region were grown by John Reynell and Thomas Hardy in 1838, which is a good 180 years ago from now. These two people became the pioneers of wine industry in this area. At present, the region boasts of more than 80 cellar doors and 120 odd wineries.

McLaren Vale wineries grown different varieties of grapes. Shiraz dominates with about 55% of vineyard area of this region under its cultivation. Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache are the other two major varieties. Besides, there are a number of other grape varieties which respond well to Mediterranean type of climate.

Among the prominent McLaren Vale wineries, to name a few, are Hugo Wines, Zonte's Footstep, Angove Winery, d'Arenberg, Leconfield Wines, Maxwell Wines, Rosemount Wines, Wirra Wirra Vineyards and Geoff Merrill Wines

Importance of Tasting notes- The Common Wine Descriptors

The importance of tasting notes of wines cannot be ignored. These tasting notes describe the wine in detail, for the benefit of knowledge seekers as well as the wine buyers. The tasting notes can be written or told verbally by people who are experts in wine tasting. Even the wineries have their own wine experts who taste the wine at different stages and mention its properties. These properties influence the commerce of the wines. Therefore, the tasting notes of popular wine critics hold a lot of weight. The wine collectors also pay a lot of attention to what the experts say so that they know which wine will age well over time and can fetch them a much higher price as compared to their investment.

The tasting notes describe some of the most common properties of wines, such as:
a. Types- such as red, white, fruit or sparkling
b. Flavour- such as, sweet, dry, fruity, spicy, creamy, or any other
c. Aroma- such as, of tropical or seasonal fruits, flowers or anything which has been commonly experienced.
d. Full-bodied or medium-bodied
e. The extent to which tannins are present
f. Aftertaste- whether it tastes for long or for short time period

The highly descriptive tasting notes clearly point to what a wine is like and what it is not like. These help people in deciding whether they shall buy the wine or not. If the notes are by someone whom you trust because the previous experience of going as per his or her advice has been pretty good, you are most likely to believe it and buy the wine even for the first time. Collectors also go through these notes to ascertain whether it shall be collected or not.
Tasting notes, therefore, help all those people who are interested in wine, whether as educators, buyers or collectors.