DNA testing promises better wine selection for the masses
Genetic testing is all the rage these days. Some tests can reveal serious health scenarios, such as if you’re predisposed to cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Other tests purport to tell you how much Neanderthal DNA is still in your bloodstream. But can genetic screening also tell if you’re predisposed to cabernet?
A group of doctors-turnedentrepreneurs started a company called Vinome to answer this question. Vinome, based in Healdsburg, Calif., is one of a handful of startups applying DNA analysis to discover what you’ll like and dislike in food and drink. Consumers who sign up for Vinome fill out a survey inquiring into their general food and wine preferences, and mail in a saliva sample to Vinome’s genetic testing firm.
A few weeks later, Vinome provides a picture-filled report with catchy turns of phrase about what your DNA says you’ll enjoy. Maybe you didn’t know that you were a “Jam Dunk” — someone who likes rich, jammy wines — or a “Bing is King,” whose palate appreciates cherry and earthy flavors, or one of another six baskets.
The reports finish with a brief rundown of the genes and their small variants, called alleles, that influence how different people perceive tastes. For instance, the SCNN1D gene with the CC allele indicates a person who likely can tolerate higher alcohol without as much of a burning sensation than others do.
The company opened for business in August and has sold 1,800 wine preference tests at $110 apiece, signing up 500 people for its wine club. (The tech is advanced but the business model is old-fashioned.) “Now that we have shipped more than 4,000 bottles of wine with a greater than 97 percent positive predictive value (meaning that only 3 percent are returned or reported as bad), we’ve got really good power behind our ability to pick the right bottles for people.” says Ron Andrews, Vinome’s CEO and cofounder.
Andrews says he and some of his five co-founders — most with genetic science backgrounds — sketched out the idea while enjoying a glass of wine at an oncology conference. Andrews, who led genetic science at Thermo Scientific, says they conducted trials with 500 people and identified 10,000 pieces of genetic data that affect taste perception. They trimmed that down to 19 genes and alleles by choosing ones that had appeared in multiple past scientific studies and then compared them with how trial participants answered 100 food and wine questions.
“It’s fun and it actually works,” says Andrews.
That depends on whom you ask.
“My immediate reaction is to roll my eyes,” says Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. “Genetics certainly influences taste — some people hate bitter tastes while others love them. Some people think cilantro is delicious, others think it tastes like soap. But much of taste in food is learned. Genetics doesn’t seem like a good reason not to like a food.”
Vinome has patented its method of using genetic preferences for anything involving smell and taste, says Andrews. Expect to see kits for beer, cocktails and maybe for perfume to attract the mate you want.
Brendan Coffey is a Boston-based writer who has written on business, tech and lifestyle for Forbes, Fortune, Businessweek, Esquire and dozens of other outlets.