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Food

This Startup Analyses Your DNA to Tell You What Wine to Drink

California-based Vinome says it can find your perfect bottle of wine by creating personalized taste profiles based on DNA.
Foto von Pat & Keri via Flickr

We've all been there. The sommelier goes into full hyperbole mode, your eyes glaze over, and you end up with another bottle of "woody and vivacious" Rioja that makes your mouth sour. Or you ask the guy in the corner shop for vino advice and get ushered towards a two-for-one special on Jacob's Creek.

READ MORE: This App Uses Your Genes to Tell You What Beer to Drink

But the days of picking dodgy bottles of plonk may finally be over. According to a California-based startup, we could be just one swab of saliva away from enjoying our dream glass of wine.

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Vinome, which launched earlier this year, says it can find the perfect bottle by creating a personalised taste profile based on your DNA.

The company analyses ten genetic markers related to taste and smell and asks customers questions on basic taste preferences. Vinome will then deliver you a perfectly matched bottle, sourced from a small winery in California.

A photo posted by Vinome (@myvinome) on May 26, 2016 at 4:42pm PDT

But wine-pairing your genes doesn't come cheap.

Before you've even taken a sip, Vinome's genetic testing service will set you back $199 and bottles retail at around $65, with a minimum three-bottle purchase. However much your genomes light up at the first sip of pinot noir, that dent in your bank balance will surely knock you harder than the morning after.

READ MORE: Meet the 20-Somethings Copying the World's Rarest Wines Without Using Grapes

And even if you've got the cash to splash on tailored wine pairings, the results may not be spot on. While some studies have found links between genetic make-up and taste preference, experts agree that DNA isn't everything, and learned behaviours also play a part in determining fondness for certain flavours.

That £5.99 mystery bottle of white isn't looking so unappealing now.