The number of taste bids on your tongue can directly affect the kind of wine you like. Generally the more taste buds you have the more sensitive a wine drinker is to astringency and bitterness If you are part of the 25% of the population that has 10 times the taste buds over the people that have the fewest, then chances are you considered a Hyper-Sensitive taster. The people with the fewest are considered Tolerant Tasters and have the least sensitivity to astringency and bitterness.
There are actually four categories Sweet, Hyper-Sensitive, Sensitive and Tolerant. Sweet tasters tend to like sweet wines like white Zinfandel or Ice Wine while Tolerant tasters tend to like red Tannic wines like Barolo or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tim Hanni has developed a questionnaire that asks you your taste preferences for things like coffee and how you like to take it as well as how you use sweeteners and salt. It also takes into account your life experiences with wine, that can also greatly influence what you like.
There is no right or wrong with what ever you find yourself categorized as. It doesn't mean that you won't drink wines (and enjoy them) that go against your profile. What it will do, is give a starting point to find wines with attributes you will find easy to enjoy.
Click the title of this post to take the questionaire
