If you remain in a dining establishment and have a concern about white wine when purchasing your food, all you need to do is ask your server or the sommelier. However what if you’re having people over for the evening or chatting with buddies and need a fast response to a red wine question?
When you don’t have time to look it up personally, you could utilize your mobile phone or tablet to ask your digital assistant. But who tells you the very best responses simply but accurately– Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri?
We decided to put all three to the test to discover at last, hiring as our judges three knowledgeable restaurant sommeliers: Tonya Pitts of One Market in San Francisco, Katja Scharnagl of Koloman in New York City, and Master of Wine Doug Frost of the Dining establishment at 1900 in Kansas City.
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Then, we picked 10 wine questions, some basic, some complex, and one a little difficult, and verbally asked them each to Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. Alexa and Google quickly chatted back their answers, citing their online sources. After each answer, Google even asked if we wanted to hear more. Siri, nevertheless, only offered us verbal responses to half the questions, asking us to read on our smartphone answers to the other questions. We weren’t sure how our judges would respond to that.
But we sent out Pitts, Scharnagl, and Frost transcripts of each virtual “conversation” and asked to judge and give a letter grade for each reaction. Here’s what they think about their virtual competitors:
1. What wine should I drink with duck?
ALEXA: “If a duck is roasted gradually, then it looks like chicken, so a light red such as Chianti or a white wine is best. When duck is dark-roasted or barbecued or made as confit, go with a darker red, such as a Malbec, Pinot Noir, or Burgundy.”
Remarks: Scharnagl and Frost mention that duck actually does not taste like chicken, and Frost states the guidance “is both too general and too specific by half.”
SIRI: No spoken response, however suggested we read what JJbuckley.com thought about it.
Remarks: Pitts says while Siri offers a recommendation, “there are no Cliffs Notes– you need to review it to get the info.” Scharnagl agrees, but Frost says the Buckley info is at least “good.”
GOOGLE: “Nine great white wine matches for duck. Here are the first five: Pinot Noir, Merlot, Barolo, Tuscan e.g. Chianti, Bandol, and other Mourvèdres.”
Comments: Frost states, “Google does not look for white wine much, does it?” Scharnagl isn’t amazed either, however Pitts thinks it’s a start in the right instructions for drinkers “in the discovery mode.”
ALEXA was graded C+, B+, and F.SIRI was graded C-, C, and F
GOOGLE was graded B+, C, and F.
2. Where does Champagne come from?
All three recognized it as being from France, but offered very little else. However, they did prevent the trap of calling all champagne Champagne.
Remarks: Our judges’ responses: Technically appropriate, but … ALEXA: C-, F, C.SIRI: B+, B, B.GOOGLE: C, C, C.
3. Just how much red wine should I pour in my glass?
ALEXA: “The basic put for a glass of wine is 5 ounces or 150 milliliters.”
SIRI: Refers users to Home.BinWise.com
GOOGLE: “The basic white wine pour is 5 ounces. That applies to both red and white wines.”
Comments: All 3 judges concur that 5 ounces is proper, and Frost pats Alexa on her virtual back for adding the metric conversion. All punish Siri for not providing a spoken response to a simple question.
ALEXA: A, B, A
SIRI: C, F, F
GOOGLE: A+, B, A
4. At what temperature should I serve gewurztraminer?
ALEXA: “Gewurztraminer is finest served in between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.”
SIRI: Refers users to Decanter.com
GOOGLE: “Serve gewurztraminers in between 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit will provide you the best taste profile possible for these kinds of red wine. This is why it is likewise essential not to save your gewurztraminers in your standard home refrigerator.”
Comments: While Scharnagl thinks Google offered “a fantastic response,” Pitts argues, “It does not apply for all gewurztraminer.” Frost safeguards the practicality of sticking red wine in the refrigerator– “Just don’t do it for like a year.”
ALEXA: B-, B, B
SIRI: C, F, C
GOOGLE: C-, A, B
5. Why should I decant a wine?
ALEXA: “Decanting red wine is an excellent way to enhance the flavors and get rid of sediment from the wine.”
SIRI: “A white wine decanter is a glass serving vessel into which a whole bottle of wine is put. They are utilized to get rid of sediment, aerate the red wine, assist in putting, and supply sophisticated presentation.”
GOOGLE: “Decanting also enhances the white wine’s taste by exposing it to fresh air and permitting it to breathe.”
Comments: Pitts says Siri’s answer “covers all the bases and is most precise.” And after Siri’s poor performances on earlier concerns, Frost cheers her on: “All true, Siri! (As if she might hear me …).”
ALEXA: B, B, B
SIRI: A, A+, B+GOOGLE: C+, B+, B
6. What is a “corked” red wine?
ALEXA: “Corked red wine is a term for a white wine that has been infected with cork taint.”
SIRI: “A corked wine is not a red wine that has small particles of cork drifting around in the glass. Rather, corked white wine is a white wine that has actually ended up being contaminated with cork taint.”
GOOGLE: “Cork taint is a broad term describing a red wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes discovered in a bottle of white wine, particularly wasting that can just be found after bottling, aging, and opening.”
Comments: Our judges aren’t very pleased with these answers. Frost finds “circular logic or circular stupidity” in both Alexa’s and Siri’s responses, and Pitts states all three answers are “not complete.”
ALEXA: C, C-, C
SIRI: B, C, B
GOOGLE: C, B, C
7. What food can I serve with Sauternes?
ALEXA: “Cheese, fruit, or pasta pair well with both white wines.”
SIRI: Refers users to Matchingfoodandwine.com.
GOOGLE: “Sauternes’ sweet, fruity, and nutty tastes pair wonderfully with desserts such as cheesecake, ice cream, and fruit tarts.”
Remarks: “I don’t think [Alexa] got this one,” Scharnagl states. Frost includes, “Pasta? Truly, pasta?”
ALEXA: F, C, F
SIRI: B, C-, F
GOOGLE: B, A-, B-
8. What glass should I utilize to consume rosé?
ALEXA: “Rosés can be served in white wine glasses because the 2 are produced likewise.”
SIRI: Refers to VinePair.com.
GOOGLE: “If you’re trying to find an alternative glass to serve rosé wine, discover something with a thin lip and a round-bottomed glass. This imitates the shape of the glass you would typically serve your rosé red wine and is better than a coffee mug.”
Remarks: Our judges typically like Alexa’s simplicity, while taking pleasure in Google’s ironical response. “Has Google been viewing me drink at home?” Frost asks. Scharnagl: “Lol– like this one!”
ALEXA: C, A, A
SIRI: F, C, C
GOOGLE: A, B, D
9. Exists a difference between classic port and tawny port?
ALEXA: “A vintage port has a regular long cork, and the drink-now style of a (tawny) port has a plastic-top cork cap.”
SIRI: “Vintage port: After aging this port for 2 years in wooden barrels, it is moved to bottles and enabled to mature approximately 25 years. Tawny port: Aged in wooden barrels, the tawny port is made from a combination of red wines and is usually aged for 6 to 7 years, although these ports can be aged for up to four decades.”
GOOGLE: “Classic port is made from the harvest of a particular year. Tawny port is typically a blend of a number of vintages.”
Comments: Pitts praises Siri’s answer as “the most accurate for any of the questions, and it’s perhaps the most tough to answer.” All are perplexed by Alexa’s thinking, with Frost commenting, “True, but unimportant.”
ALEXA: C, D, F
SIRI: A, A, A
GOOGLE: A, B-, B+
10. Just how much should I tip a sommelier in a dining establishment?
ALEXA: “A typical pointer would be 15 to 20 percent for thankfulness.”
SIRI: “Pointer 15 to 20 percent for satisfying service and 25 percent for exemplary service”
GOOGLE: “They state in cases such as these, tipping 15 percent minus 25 percent on the food, for instance, the $200 bottle of bubbly would be warranted.”
Remarks: The sommeliers are happy with the 15 to 20 percent pointer (“I’ll take it!”), however aren’t sure what to make of Google’s complicated response. Frost can only ask, “Huh?”
ALEXA: C, A, B
SIRI: A+, A, B
GOOGLE: F, B, C
We awarded each A with 4 points, Bs with 3, Cs with 2, Ds with 1 and a Fs got 0 points. Then we included a quarter point for each “plus,” subtracted a quarter point for each “minus,” and added everything up– 30 private grades for each virtual sommelier.
And the very best virtual red wine sommelier is … Google!
The overalls:
Google Assistant: 79.25 points
Siri: 70.50 points
Alexa: 67.75 points
Google’s worst ratings were on the very first and last concerns, but she carried out gradually in between. Although the judges provided Siri Fs and Cs for her non-verbal responses, she got the best ratings for 5 other questions and was available in second. Alexa settled for third with primarily typical ratings. And, as all of our virtual sommeliers only averaged a C from our judges, there’s a long way to go before they can receive their somm certificates.
Which leaves us with one last question to ask our virtual sommeliers: “Hey, Siri and Alexa, what wine should we buy to toast Google’s victory?”