Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/333548
3 2 V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T | J u l y - A u g 2 014 w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m most wine sales are direct-to-con- sumer in the tasting room. Gómez said that wineries would be well served to encourage win- ery personnel to become familiar with current understanding of the mechanics of taste and smell. "I keep telling tasting room manag- ers that talking to the visitors and educating them about wine and wine tasting is a very effective (and cost-effective) strategy to enhance customer satisfaction, customer intimacy, and thereby tasting room sales," he said. Training tasting room staff to understand the basics of taste involves more than simply pro- viding visitors with those annoy- ing tasting sheets that claim the merlot they've been poured has "elements of plums, violets and cassis" (in fact some studies show that consumers are more apt to be turned off than impressed by such descriptors). A better approach is to make sure tasting room person- nel learn enough about the accurate fundamentals of taste and flavor perception so that they can con- verse competently about the issues with interested consumers. ABOUT THAT TONGUE MAP You've probably seen those illus- trations of the tongue depicting the specific location of our various taste buds: the ones for sweetness are on the tip of the tongue, salti- ness is along the front sides, and so on. Whether this popular "map" is a complete myth or merely an over- simplification of a complex issue is debatable, but the real question is: Why did no one seriously examine the veracity of the tongue map until relatively recently? And why do people in wineries and wine education classes contin- ue to talk about it as if it were true, when most contemporary research- ers categorically dismiss the taste map? As Jeannine Delwiche, a sensory scientist at Mead Johnson tion, managers need staff who are friendly and patient, who will spend time talking with the visitors, and have solid knowledge of the story behind the wines." Retailers across all industries recognize that customer satisfac- tion plays a big role in any suc- cessful business strategy, but the Cornell study noted that satisfied customers are especially impor- tant for cold-climate wineries in regions such as New York and Iowa. They've found that one of the things tasting room visitors value most is personalized service and knowledgeable pourers. This is crucial in the eastern states, where U.S.A. MAIN OFFICE - 1460 Cader Lane, Suite C - Petaluma, CA 94954 - Phone: (707) 775-4530 - laffortusa@laffort.com St HELENA STORE - 1309 Main Street, Suite C - St Helena, CA 94574 - Phone: (707) 967-8290 A new yeast for complex, barrel fermented Chardonnay, with notes of almond, hazelnut, toasted bread and lemon. From the best terroir of Burgundy ZYMAFLORE® CH9 NEW FOR 2014 EAST COAST WATCH MARGUERITE THOMAS