HOW TO BECOME A WINE-OLOGIST

A good friend of mine regularly sends me images of wine they discover and like a lot. The most common descriptor they use is ‘yum’ and when they are very excited about a particular wine ‘really yum’. While I know exactly what they mean because I know them, I was thinking they could begin to be more specific by using this new wine communication system called Wine-oji. Developed in New Zealand by the wine team at Noble Rot Wine Bar in Wellington, this is a new way to communicate the way a wine smells and tastes. It’s a pictorial language to help people discover wine’s complexities in a simple, engaging way. “We set out to solve the perennial problem of giving people consistent, accurate descriptions when they ask, ‘What’s in the bottle?’” says Jessica Wood, Head Sommelier. There’s a game aspect to the system to help wine tasters learn more about wine flavour profiles; it can make a great gift to a friend who is keen to learn more about the language of wine.