Better Know A Barcelona Startup: Wineissocial (@wineissocial)

I love wine. There I said it. Wine, wine, wine. I’m not worried that in some countries I’d be considered a raging alcoholic because I live in Spainwhere we drink vino with breakfast. In case you aren’t aware, it’s been proven by real life scientists that drinking a glass bottle of wine a day is good for the health.

When it comes to choosing wine it can be hit and miss. Living in a region where some of the world’s finest wines are produced means the probability of ingesting a wine that tastes like battery acid is lower than average, however discovering those hidden gems without a lot of research and trial and error can be tricky. So why not have the experts do it for you? Wine lovers, please allow me to introduce your personal sommelier in the cloud.

Wineissocial, founded by Ferran Centelles (Sommelier of El Bulli), serial entrepreneur Manel Sarasa, and operations expert Thomas Kissler, is a wine club like no other. One of the most attractive factors, is that upon signing up you are given a brief questionnaire prepared by Ferran, which determines your taste preferences; select your favorite tastes, smells, cuisines and more. Upon creating your “cata”, you have the option to sign up for the “experience of the month” which will send you  a monthly selection of wines recommended by the Wineissocial sommeliers based on your tastes.

Here is a quick introduction to your sommeliers so you know what you’re getting: Ferran Centelles, sommelier of El Bulli from 2000-2011 and best sommelier in Spain in 2006, Raul Igual, winner of best sommelier in Spain in 2010 and candidate for the best in the world 2013 and Cristina Alcala, author, journalist and professional wine-taster. If this isn’t to your liking then you can also purchase wine directly from the site.

Apart from the obvious benefit of discovering fantastic wines, you also learn about it too (yeyy grapes). Ferran developed a system of classifying wines by symbols, which will help you identify types of wines and help you when you go back for more.

Being a wine lover, but someone who can never smell any specific scents in my wine (I guess I have a bad nose), I’ve been very happy with my “experiences” so far. I’ve received some fantastic wines I would have probably never come across and, more importantly, they were selected by world class sommeliers. One of the only things missing is the ability to rate the wines after trying them thus further personalizing my taste preferences for future surprises.

Lets not forget the “social’ in Wineissocial. Connect with your friends and you can see which wines they have rated, recommended and reviewed hopefully furthering your exposure to new wines.

If you enjoy wine, or are looking for that special gift for a loved one this holiday season, you can’t go wrong with the best sommeliers in the cloud at Wineisocial.