Using Seasonal Food Pairings to Drive Engagement and Educate New Wine Drinkers

Wine has a vocabulary problem. Ask someone who is newer to wine what they tasted in a glass and you'll often get a pause, then something like "I don't know, it was good?" The language of wine was built by and for people who already know the terrain. The tannins, the finish, the terroir. For everyone else, it can feel like showing up to a conversation where everyone else got the reference guide in advance. That barrier has a cost: it's keeping wineries from connecting with curious newer drinkers searching for a route in. But there's a way through it that doesn't require dumbing anything down or abandoning what makes wine interesting. Food is where it starts. Everyone eats. Everyone has opinions about what tastes good together. A new wine drinker who can't tell you what "grippy tannins" means can absolutely tell you that the Syrah they opened with their lamb chops in October tasted completely different than the same wine had alone. That moment, when a pairing clicks into place, is the en

by Deksia Jones · source ↗