Wine tasting: A creative and sensory approach to boosting design thinking skills

Last week, Livina Mazzoni, Lou Deville and I took a short trip to Porto. During our trip, we visited many well-known places in Porto and did a private wine tasting of Porto wine.

This Porto wine tasting workshop was an excellent way to boost our creativity, and even our design thinking skills, as it engaged our senses and required us to think critically about the wine we tasted. During the workshop, we were encouraged by the sommelier to analyze the colour, aroma, and taste of each wine, which helped me develop my sensory perception.

Additionally, I was challenged to identify the unique characteristics of each wine and differentiate between them, which in some ways helped to develop my ability to observe and notice small details. I found it quite hard to find the right words to describe various aspects of the wines. Nevertheless, this attention to detail is a crucial aspect of design thinking, where designers need to pay close attention to user needs and develop solutions that meet those needs.

Moreover, the wine tasting session provided an opportunity for Livina, Lou and myself to learn more about the history and culture of Porto wine, which inspired creative thinking and new ideas as well.

We realized that the knowledge we gained from this workshop could be applied to design challenges, such as creating a new product that reflects the essence of Porto wine.

Overall, this Porto wine tasting session was an engaging and enjoyable way to develop creativity and design thinking skills, while also learning about the rich history and culture of the unique product of Porto wine. It offered me a new perspective that inspired me to think differently, and it allowed me to expand my descriptive vocabulary.