Sommelier or ChatGPT? What we gain and lose when AI picks the wine
At a steakhouse with an in-house sommelier, my girlfriend chose ChatGPT instead. I was proud. Then I started wondering whether it was actually the better way, and what society gains or loses when this becomes how we decide things.
The dinner
My girlfriend and I were at a nice steakhouse, the kind with an in-house sommelier. When it came time to pick a wine, I asked if she wanted to call the sommelier over.
“No,” she said. “I’ll just have ChatGPT read the menu and tell me.”
As an AI adopter, of course I was proud of her. But it got me asking two questions:
- Is that actually the better way to do it?
- What does society gain or lose when this is how people do things?
Honestly, most of us don’t know much about wine
I’ve been on a decent number of wine tours, and I still have no clue about the nuances. I just know good wine tastes good.
I know the simple rules: red with steak, white with fish, and some wines are bolder than others. A sommelier could probably figure that out about me in about 10 seconds.
So what changes when AI makes the call instead?
What you gain with AI
- It’s quicker. No waiting, no back-and-forth.
- It’s less intimidating. No one has to admit they don’t know what “tannins” means.
- It remembers. If I use Claude for this consistently, it becomes a record of my choices. I can ask, “What was that wine I tried at the restaurant a few months ago?” and actually get an answer.
- It gets more personal over time. Future picks can be curated around what I’ve liked before.
What you lose
- Less learning. When the answer just appears, you don’t pick up much along the way.
- A smaller world. If Claude decides I like a certain type of wine, it may keep steering me there instead of helping me explore.
- The human moment. A sommelier has a real conversation with you. That conversation can spark ideas about what you like, and with the right sommelier, it’s an enjoyable part of the night that leaves an impression.
My take
- If you know enough about wine, the sommelier is the way to go. You’ll get the most out of the conversation.
- If you have average adult wine knowledge (red with steak, done), a chatbot can genuinely help you out.
- But if you truly want to learn more and dive in, maybe a combo of the two works best. Let AI get you oriented, then talk to the sommelier, and keep a record of what you loved.
The bigger lesson goes beyond wine. AI is great at giving everyone a decent answer quickly. What it can’t replace is the conversation that teaches you something and the person who makes the night memorable. Those are worth keeping, even when the chatbot is faster.