The body language of wine
Experts define body language as any non-verbal communication and they claim body language accounts for over 80% of all communication. I first stumbled across body language when a young lady once accepted a bite of food from my fork across the table at dinner in a restaurant. Actually, it was later that evening that I discovered her meaning but there is no denying body language is a powerful means of communication even if we don’t always pay much attention to it at the time.
Those employed in sales and health care occupations are good at interpreting body language in their daily interaction with others. And in the wine industry sommeliers interpret body language in order to predict which wines a customer will buy and when they are ready to decide which wine they will order.
Some instances of body language are universally recognized. For example, checking the time on one’s watch in the presence of others is a statement of one’s impatience or desire to leave. Repeatedly tapping one’s fingers on a table indicates irritation. Folding the arms across the chest while listening to someone speak indicates defensiveness or insecurity. There are books that list literally hundreds of examples of body language like these and they make for fascinating reading.
Are there any examples of wine-specific body language that we can point to when it comes to wine drinkers or the settings where people commonly interact with wine? Yes, most definitely and for the benefit of those working with wine professionally and the amusement of those who might not be aware of their own body language while enjoying wine in restaurants or with friends at home, here are some decoded examples of wine related body language.
Wine drinkers generally fall into one of three broad classifications simply by the way they hold a wine glass. People in the first group hold a wine glass by the bowl instead of the stem, with their fingers pointing downwards like a busboy might do while quickly clearing a table. In general this body language indicates one values wine quality only marginally and that the person is in a hurry to get on to the next serving.
People in the second group hold a wine glass by the stem instead of the bowl, with three fingers and the thumb. Here we see a message of refinement, confidence, and consideration. These are the kind of people who would have voted for Al Gore, who own a Volvo and rarely gossip. These people deserve the respect and full attention of the wine server; they are the golden ones.
People in the third group hold their wine glass the base of the glass. Outside of technical wine settings this gesture communicates a person knows many facts about wine but understands little. These are the pretenders who corner you at a party in order to share their wine knowledge with you. They tend to favor undistinguished wines.
Given the high price of wine in Thailand it is no surprise that much of the body language surrounding wine has something to do with money. Someone who absentmindedly jingles coins and keys in their pockets while looking at the wine list is preoccupied with prices, so if you are a sommelier you can forget about upselling to this person.
Another dreaded body language for the sommelier is a woman who wont allow any force of man or nature to remove her purse from her lap. A purse glued to a lady’s lap is a sure sign of the intent not to spend a single baht on wine nor allow anyone else at the table to do so, either. You might as well get a Sprite from the cooler because that is all you are going to sell to this table unless you can get that purse off the lap and onto the floor.
A more subtle signal about money worries is the person who touches their nose or scratches their scalp while responding to the suggestion of the sommelier. Touching the face or scalp, along with unusually fast blinking of the eyes, is subconscious ness about lying and however seriously interested in a good but expensive wine they say they are, tonight for strange reason they will order a class of Chilean house wine.
Some forms of body language are easily misconstrued. One example is the customer who stares at the wine list from here to eternity as if they are trying to memorize each wine on the list. Many sommeliers erroneously assume this person either does not know anything about wine or is a wine lover genuinely engaged in fully exploring the list, In fact the customer’s body language is signaling a desire for the sommelier to jump in and tell them which wine to order tonight, as they don’t feel like making a decision themselves.
Other body language warns of the difficult and problematic. For example, someone who drapes their arm over the back of the chair is saying, look at me, I am a big boy, approach with respect and trepidation or I will make you regret working in this section tonight.
Reading the wine list aloud to everyone at table indicates insecurity over what to order and signals here is a guest that needs a little hand holding and patience. This guest would like the sommelier (or other guests) to jump in and say which of the wines they have just spoken out loud is a good choice.
Then there is the poseur who sniffs the cork like a dog savoring an especially funky set of car tires. This communicates need for attention, praise and affirmation. These are customers who go to restaurants to feel important and a good server recognizes that and plays along.
Taking it extremes, there is the person who signals their need to be recognized as an expert (even if they are not) by loudly slurping and sucking of a tiny sip of wine for 5 minutes in order to evaluate it for corkiness when it is first poured from the bottle for approval; this person is saying Praise my make-believe knowledge and I will be your friend.
How we drink says a lot about us and sends powerful signals to others about what really is going on in our head. Maybe sniffing a cork is not as promising as when one’s date accepts a bite from your fork but at least with an understanding of body language the wine professional can know whether they will be going home alone or with a nice service charge.
Here’s looking at you, kid.