A few months ago, I was at my friend Julie's apartment for one of our regular gossip sessions. Julie uncorked a bottle of Alexander Valley Cabernet to get the juicy bits flowing, but the wine quickly took over as the topic of conversation. It tasted like dark chocolate, earthy blueberry and sweet baking spices . “Julie, where did you get this!?" Julie was excited to let me in on her secret: “OMG, you have to try Tasting Room!" Then opened her laptop and showed me her Wine Profile.
I'd already heard about Tasting Room after reading about it on Huff Post. It's the first personalized wine club that lets you sample wine first, with its exclusive Tasting Kit, then tailors wine selections to match your taste preferences.
Julie's Wine Profile explained why she received that bottle of Cab we'd just enjoyed. It described her tastes perfectly. I knew right away I was missing out. I signed up to receive my wine Tasting Kit, which arrived a few days later.
My Tasting Kit contained six sample-size bottles of wine, which made for a fun night in. I logged on to Tasting Room's site, and I was guided through a quick, engaging tasting in which I compared wines against each other and just clicked on the ones I preferred. Once I was done, I got my own Wine Profile right away.
Unlike Julie, who likes big, opulent red wines, Tasting Room helped me learn that I like bold, earthy reds with more substance and depth. I already knew I enjoyed Cabernet, which was listed as the first wine suggestion on my red Wine Profile, but Tasting Room suggested I also try Garnacha (Grenache) and Sangiovese to start. Both came in my first Tasting Room shipment, and I loved them– especially when I paired them with roasted chicken, as my Red Wine Profile suggested.
My White Wine Profile suggested I like fresh, zesty whites. It mentioned I should start with Pinot Grigio, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, but recommended I try Albariño from Spain or a white Bordeaux (France), too. Tasting Room was right! Albariño is now my favorite wine, bar none. I never order my old go-to, Pinot Grigio, if Albariño's on the menu.
The profiles are fun, and packed with helpful information, but the best part is the wine that follows! All of the wines I've received from Tasting Room have been my taste. Plus, every bottle comes with a satisfaction guarantee, so if I were to ever receive a wine I didn't like, they'd replace it with another one of the delicious wines from their collection.
Update: The awesome folks at Tasting Room are extending a special offer to our readers. Follow this link to get your wine tasting kit for just $6.95 (originally $39.95)!