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w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J u l y - A u g 2 014 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 3 5 winemakers, wine judges – seem to fare worse in this exercise than nonprofessional tasters. It should come as no surprise that music can affect taste per- ceptions. (See Wine Wise Market- ing, pg. 22) It's well-documented that the type of music playing in the background at, say, a mall, can influence purchasing decisions for any number of products. A recent study, for example, showed that romantic background music in flower shops boosts sales. Other reports suggest that restaurant cus- tomers spend more money on food and drink when slow background music is played. One study showed that when German music was played in a wine store, customers purchased more German wines. When French music was put on, sales of French wines went up. If you are a winemaker, winery owner or sell wine, these things matter. At the most basic level, the more a vintner understands about tasting, evaluating and sell- ing wine, the more successful the wines are apt to be. And while none of us will ever identify a frac- tion of those trillion smells we're capable of perceiving, just knowing the possible range might inspire us to pay more attention. "Maybe we're going to start using those corners of our smell capacity that have just not been exercised lately," Vosshall told Science. Since people come to tasting rooms for education about wine, gaining insight into how they taste can add to the overall experience, making them feel they've received special attention. As Cornell's Gómez underscores, providing a satisfactory experience to visitors helps create customer loyalty and promote word-of-mouth recom- mendations. Customers who feel they've received exceptional ser- vice will not only spend more, they are also likely to make a future pur- chase and recommend the winery to friends and colleagues. Marguerite Thomas is a Bal- t i m o r e - b a s e d j o u r n a l i s t a n d p h o t o g r a p h e r w h o c o n t r i b u t e s wine-related articles to several national and international publi- cations. She is the author of the books "Wineries of the Eastern States" and "Visiting East Coast Wineries." Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. EAST COAST WATCH MARGUERITE THOMAS :LQH'DWD 6ROXWLRQV 'DWDHQWU\VROXWLRQVIRU\RXUZLQHU\ +RVWLQJDQG'DWD3URFHVVLQJ 2XUFORXGEDVHGVRIWZDUHOHWV\RXDFFHVV \RXUHQWLUHSURGXFWLRQKLVWRU\IURPJUDSHWR ERWWOHIURPDQ\ZKHUHDWDQ\WLPHZKLOHGDWD HQWU\LVKDQGOHGE\RXUWHDPDOORZLQJ\RXWR IRFXVRQ\RXUZLQHQRWGDWDHQWU\ 'DWD3URFHVVLQJ 2XU9,1[FHUWLILHGGDWDHQWU\WHDPFDQ SURYLGHWHPSRUDU\FRYHUDJHGDWDHQWU\ RYHUIORZDVVLVWDQFHRUKDQGOHDOORI\RXU GDWDHQWU\DQGUHSRUWLQJQHHGV ZLQHGDWDVROXWLRQVFRP GDGDPV#ZLQHGDWDVROXWLRQVFRP Find your wine at any time. We are social, mobile, and local. winecompetitions.com ons com tio Enter Your Wines Today!