November 4, 2020
Terrible at Describing Your Wine? There's an App for That
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Wine drinkers who feel inferior in the company of self-proclaimed experts can now trade knowledgeable banter with them – thanks to a 'wine buff' comment generator.
Aimed to help those in social settings seem more at-ease, the generator will provide handy pro phrases - such as ''lovely delicate red fruit flavors with earthy tones backing it up" – for bottles of vino.
Users simply select their wine of choice and will be given the options of 'play it safe' and 'full show off,' followed by an expert-like description for their tipple.
The 'shortcut to wine' tool was created by Virgin Wines after research of 2,000 adults found half admit to exaggerating details of their personal life at a dinner party – including their salary, job description and wine knowledge.
And three in 10 adopt a competitive streak at social gatherings and try to out-do other guests, and even the host, with fanciful tales.
Traveling experiences, cooking skills, dating exploits and even social media followings are other areas some people are guilty of over-inflating.
But four in 10 admitted they tend to only discuss the positive areas of their lives when they're with others in a social setting.
Virgin Wines' spokesman, Andrew Baker, said, "Dinner parties look to be generally slightly more intimate affairs for the foreseeable future. This means it's difficult to blend into a larger crowd, and people will naturally need to speak a bit more, which can be awkward if you feel you've little to say. It's no surprise to find as a result, millions are over-egging their personal achievements somewhat, so they sound a bit more impressive."
The study also found that more than a third (37 percent) of adults feel 'pressured' to impress others at social gatherings.
And while three in 10 let their competitive edge take over so they can try and one-up everyone else at a dinner party, a fifth have called someone else out for doing so.
It's more likely those surveyed will try and embellish their personal achievements with new people than ones they've known for years – in case they get caught out.
But 43 percent do it to try and fit in with the crowd they're part of, while another four in 10 just want to appear more interesting than they really are.
A little under half believe a little white lie is perfectly acceptable to tell at a dinner party, according to the OnePoll figures.
However, for 41 percent of those surveyed, the need to impress others has diminished as they get older in years.
"We can't make your job more interesting or your exploits on holiday any more hilarious. But at least we can make it sound like you know what you're talking about when it comes to wine, with our crafty comment generator," Baker added. "It will give you a few choice opinions about wine, perfect for any social setting, you can drop in so you'll sound like a master sommelier – even if you can't tell a Merlot from a Mojito."