http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ Wine Psych: Recent Posts en Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:56:58 +0000 http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=6#post-10 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:33:23 +0000 fianofilly 10@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>With the warm weather approaching I would love your take on Rose'? I think it is fabulous in summer, and very easy to order/buy as the freshest vintage is always the most recent. </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=5#post-9 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:42:28 +0000 misschampagne 9@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>Is it manupulative to send your staff on customer service training? So that the customer has an enjoyable experience and provides return trade? I would say no. As long as the staff are not using their skills to encourage customers to spend beyond their means (different to spending more) then I don't have a problem with this.<br /> Large corporate companies spend billions on advertising products to us and convincing us that we want/need them (when perhaps we don't), is this manipulative? </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=5#post-8 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:07:38 +0000 Miles1 8@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>I often have a chat with sommeliers about their work. One recently told me he had a degree in psychology and uses mirroring (reflecting the body language and verbal communication style of customers) to establish rapport. He felt his aim was generally altruistic in that he wanted to maximise pleasure but also acknowledged that he can influence the amount spent. If I were a restaurant owner I would be keen on my sommelier being skilled at the basics of rapport building and might even want them to train in NLP etc to optimise their skill set (and my profits/client satisfaction). Is this manipulative? </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=3#post-7 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:36:31 +0000 beaky 7@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>Completely agree - so much of the wine coming out of Napa and Sonoma is overpriced and poor quality (to the detriment of the really excellent ones). Seems the current trend is to have some snappy cool label and charge 20 bucks - people are easily manipulated i guess </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=4#post-6 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:24:23 +0000 admin 6@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>Hi to both of you and thanks for posting on the Forum. I think gender issues are one of the most interesting areas in wine at the moment. There are increasing numbers of really influential women in the wine world and your point about taste discrimination one that I can anecdotally and scientifically relate to. Women are still subject to all kinds of bias though - for example in relation to the reporting of problem drinking in recent years.</p> <p>I was interested in your notion of 'fine wine' and what this construct means to people. I should start another strand on this....</p> <p>Where do you have your tastings? I am planning a tasting series on psychology and wine.</p> <p>Miles </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=4#post-5 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:12:57 +0000 DoleScum 5@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>I organise a small, informal wine tasting group in north-east London, and most of the participants so far are women. However, the trade seems to be dominated by men. I'm struck by the contrast, but I don't find it that surprising.<br /> On the face of it, I'd expect women to be far more heavily represented in the wine world as their sense of smell tends to be more acute than men's - and it's well documented that all the subtleties of flavour are discerned in the nose rather than the mouth. I (a man) find it very helpful to have women around when I'm tasting, as they can often put a name to elements of nose or palate whose precise identity eludes me.<br /> I've read that many women regard wine courses or clubs as a possible way to meet men while pursuing an enjoyable hobby: if true, this might increase their numbers in such environments. It will be interesting to see whether this leads to a surge of women in the wine trade in the long term.<br /> As for the trade, I think it's largely a matter of economic inertia. Until the late 20th century, fine wine was the preserve of the upper and middle classes; since then we've all been encouraged to aspire to such things, but actual change in the trade has been limited. Fine wine from any part of the world is expensive, so it's difficult to gain a broad experience without the money to buy it. The big wheels of the wine trade tend to be posh as well as male. I think this could also explain why they're mostly white.<br /> I also suspect that what makes it particularly hard for women (and anybody without a degree of privilege) to make inroads in the wine trade is the 'pundit mentality'. Sport is another area traditionally dominated by men, and if you listen to them discussing it, their approach is usually to predict who's going to win, who's going to lose, and why. They don't seem to mind, or even notice, being repeatedly proved wrong; the important thing is to have an opinion on everything and express it with conviction. I notice the same attitude among many male wine aficionados, and find that my own tentative, questioning approach tends to marginalise me in such company. I feel exposed as an <em>arriviste</em> by not being forthright enough. Bluff seems to be the name of the game, and it is, on the whole, practised more by men.<br /> I'd be interested to hear other people's views or observations on this. </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=4#post-4 Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:10:08 +0000 misschampagne 4@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>Is anyone interested in psychology, gender and wine? </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=3#post-3 Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:54:13 +0000 Opus1 3@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>I live in California and we take our wine seriously here. It is about time someone outlined the science of how we think about the greatest drink in the world. I am interested in issues of status and the way in which market forces pollute the wine world. Wine is art and culture not commerce. When people want to make big bucks we end up with undrinkable juice with dumbed down names. </p> http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/topic.php?id=2#post-2 Thu, 28 May 2009 15:33:56 +0000 Lightpourer 2@http://www.winepsych.com/bbpress/ <p>I love red wine, especially the rich and detailed flavours. I have several times had a single glass of red carry me away into light and easy floating reverie on the back of (not only the wonderful flavours but also) the ineffable pleasure of the delivery of alcohol.</p> <p>There is something very special about red wine properly made and prepared for imbibing. </p>