GREAT WINE Inc. CEO Danni Lin wants to help people discover their personal wine preferences at her new tasting room in Bellevue.
“We do tastings around people’s vinotypes,” Lin said. “We are trying to learn about the customer before we push any type of wine.”
A person’s vinotype, a concept created by Master of Wine Tim Hanni, Lin’s business partner, is “the unique combination of sensitivities and values that comprise your wine personal preferences,” according to Hanni’s website, myvinotype.com.
“[Determining your vinotype] will help you narrow down the overwhelming number of wine choices you may encounter in stores, on line or on restaurant wine lists and also enable our wine recommendation engine to make smart, personalized wine recommendations for you,” according to the site.
Identifying a great wine is all about perception — it comes down to a number of factors, like a person’s genetics, their life experiences and their palate, Lin said.
GREAT WINE’s tasting room held a soft opening last month in Downtown Bellevue.
“Many of our clients are interested in using [this space] for corporate events,” Lin said.
The tasting room, located at 958 111th Ave. NE, Suite 103, is an open space with natural lighting, with a single table in the center and chairs seated around it. There is a TV for corporate PowerPoint presentations.
The space is reserved for private tastings, and showcases Lin’s six California wines, called PERCIPIO, which is Latin for perception. There are four red wines and two whites.
“It is GREAT WINE’s goal to alter people’s perception about wine being extremely difficult to understand,” according to a press release. “GREAT WINE breaks down the misconception [that the taste of win is proportional to its price] by seeking the best possible wine sources to create delicious, healthy and affordable wines, which would cater the taste profiles of four different ‘vinotypes.’”
The PERCIPIO bottles of wine sell for under $20 each.
GREAT WINE offers three types of tasting events: Initiation, The Exquisite and Communal Joy.
The Initiation is for wine lovers looking for a basic idea of California wine and the vinotype concepts. It is a one-hour event, and includes a 30-minute tasting featuring three wines.
The Exquisite is a two-hour event for wine connoisseurs looking for an in-depth discussion on wine knowledge, vinotype concepts and scientific studies of palate profiles. It includes a 45-minute tasting featuring four wines.
The Communal Joy is for corporate clients who are looking to enjoy wines during a business meeting or do a wine tasting for team-building. This three-hour event includes a one-hour tasting featuring five wines.
All guests of wine tastings also get a 10 percent discount on purchases.
To contact GREAT WINE for more information or to set up a private tasting, email hello@greatwineusa.com.
