Key to avoid sour grapes over a drink

WHEN picking a bottle of wine that goes perfectly with your meal, it is easy to make the wrong decision.

But those unsure which grape to choose, and whether a tannic or oaked wine is best, may now have a solution.

A study appears to confirm that we all fall into one of four types of wine drinkers: “sweet”, “sensitive”, “hypersensitive” or “tolerant”.

Those who are sweet are more tempted by Prosecco or white zinfandel, while the hypersensitive prefer a dry chardonnay or Pinot grigio.

Sensitive drinkers are open to trying all wines, although they may shy away from tannic wines which have a more bitter taste or oaked wines with a vanilla taste.

However, tolerant drinkers invariably go for firmer, stronger flavours, favouring red and tannic wines, which get their bitter flavour from grape skins and seeds.

They usually would prefer a cabernet sauvignon or malbec.

The US study, published in the International Journal of Wine Business Research, says the four types may work better than traditional advice on which wine to drink with different meals.

Researchers found those who dislike spicy foods tend to be sweet types.

Those who prefer coffee to tea tend to fall into the tolerant group and enjoy an “oaked” white wine.