Market Researchers and Winemakers Are Basically The Same – Here’s Why

If we weren’t market researchers, we’d be winemakers. Ok, maybe not, but blending sample and blending wine do have a lot in common.

Oftentimes we don’t think about our favorite bottles of wine as being a blend of different types of grapes, but unless your bottle specifies that it is 100% made of one grape, it’s probably a blend. We usually don’t even have to think about these blends because of the perfectly concocted mixture within each glass. However, the thought and precision behind these blends are done by meticulous winemakers who know exactly how to create the perfect blend that works together to create your favorite wine.

Recently, wine blending has become a trend. With market research, we know that sample blending isn’t just a trend; it’s best practice.

There are many different ways to blend wine. With the exception of field blending, wine blending usually means each grape is grown in a different vineyard, fermented separately, and may even be aged individually. Then, when they’re ready, they’re combined to make the perfect blend. Each winery uses a different recipe, a different grape, a different method to create a great wine. Wines are meant for different occasions or to complement different foods.

This is similar to how we look at sample.

Why Blend?

Blending allows winemakers to design a wine that is better than the sum of its parts. They create more balanced wines that cater to the unique palette of each drinker. When it comes to sample, we strive to do the same.

Blending sample allows us to create a sample plan that is better than what we could achieve from one single source. Better sample means sample that is unbiased, representative, and fits your unique research needs. Blending these sample sources allows us to achieve that goal.

The Vineyards (Or, as we like to call it: Panel Management)

Grapes are grown and harvested from different vineyards and winemakers start evaluating and ranking the grapes they harvest as soon as possible. From there, they look at what each grape can bring to the wine, whether that’s earthiness, fruit, spice, etc.

It’s the same with sample. Our sample comes from different panels that we cultivate and evaluate often. Our panel assessment process allows us to analyze our panels and determine the ideal set of options. After that, we’re able to decide which panels are right for each project and determine how they can best contribute to the sample blend.

In the same way it’s important for a viticulturist and winemaker to care for their vineyards, it’s important for us to take care of our panel network. We’re constantly evaluating our partners to ensure we get the best grapes, I mean, sample.

Art and Science

Wine blending is a mixture of art and science. It takes a developed palette and appreciation to understand the different flavors and how they work together to create a wine, not to mention the rigorous process of winemaking in itself. It truly is an art. However, behind the scenes, winemakers are gathering around a table with wine glasses, pipettes, graduated cylinders, and all kinds of measuring tools to create the perfect blend, looking at their craft as an exact science.

With sample, we take a similar approach. Here at EMI, we use our unique methodology of strategic sample blending, IntelliBlend®, to ensure that we’re creating the perfect blend of sample sources. It’s a mixture of art and science that allows us to meet our clients’ unique research needs and pretend we work on a vineyard in California.

Winemakers (AKA, Sample Consultants)

As mentioned before, winemakers are working tirelessly behind the scenes to meticulously create the best wine, accounting for every complexity and flavor within.

The same is true for our team at EMI. Our expert sample consultants work behind the scenes to create a seamless blend to fit our clients’ needs. With over 20 years of experience, we’re able to customize solutions that are perfect for your project. It’s almost like having a custom bottle of wine created just for you!

Want to learn more about strategic sample blending and IntelliBlend®? Click the button below for a free consultation.