Snooth - Part III - Back to the roots

Let's get back to my original idea with Kevin... There should be an online wine community to recommend wines both for what you may like and what you may want to buy as a gift. This entire idea stemmed from my various friends consistently calling me while standing at the grocery store/wine shop/BevMo/Cost Plus completely baffled. Any good wine salesperson will ask the same string of questions.

"Is the wine for you or is this a gift?"

If it is a gift, then personal taste can be thrown out the window.

First, it's a price point game. How much do you want to spend?

Second, who is the recipient of the wine? A wine geek? A wine lover? A wine novice? Someone you've really never seen even so much as pick up a wine glass? There are different but stereotypical styles for each of these types. A wine geek might want to cellar a good bottle. A wine lover may want to hold the bottle for a nice occasion. A wine novice may want to pop it open right away or save it for dinner tomorrow. And as for Mr. Indifferent? He'll likely open it right then and there or else there's no chance of him opening it at all.

Lastly, the definition of a good gift is something that you might like but won't necessarily pick up for yourself. Typically, I recommend items that are a little niche but perhaps have been seen around. Stay away from the big brands. It's a time to explore!

Not a gift? Something for yourself? Then, the next question should be:

"Tell me some of the wines that you do like."

Once that is established, the list is narrowed. The next few questions should be:

"How much you want to spend?" (Not all of us have a black AmEx...)
"Tell me what occasion this is for. Drink tonight? Hold for a nice occasion? Cellar?"

If it is for an upcoming meal, then having an idea of what type of cuisine (Asian, French, Italian, BBQ, etc.) or specific kind of food (beef, lamb, salad, tacos...) is essential.

Now, this brings us back to availability. Since this is an online site, availability is essential to the success of recommendations. You don't need to necessarily know the inventory of every brick and mortar shop in the neighborhood but wines do fall into general availability categories. At this point, you have to ask, "Where do you want to purchase this wine?"