No, we aren’t talking about some sort of bizarre drinking game for people with disabilities, but Blind Wine Tasting can be an excellent way to get seriously good value wines.
Blind Wine Tasting is essentially when a wine is presented without the taster knowing what it is. Whether you use a brown bag, bottle covers or an old sock, the main objective of blind tasting is to allow you to try wines without being influenced by what’s on the label, unbiased by the wines reputation, vintage or even the variety.
A far more challenging (and intimidating) extension of this is the wine options game – where a group of suitably foolhardy individuals gather around with a clutch of mysteriously obscured bottles and attempt to guess the vintage, variety, region and maker of the masked bottles. This can often be a hilarious game, as it is simply too easy for even the most seasoned, knowledgeable taster can get things very, very wrong.
To add a further dimension, try blind tasting with your eyes shut – Cabernet Sauvignon has a reputation for smelling exactly like Sauvignon Blanc with the lights turned out!
The clear advantage of blind wine tasting though is that it is a great leveller – it is amazing how often when presented with a lineup of masked wines, the $15 bottles end up just as popular as the $30 bottles. This can be used to your wine buying advantage, as you may discover wines that you thought were too expensive/cheap & happily discover great wines.
Pepsi wheeled out a blind tasting road show several years ago, attempting to emphasise how much better their product tasted than its Coca Cola competitor, showing that once you take away all the perceptions associated with packaging & the inherent marketing spiel, its ultimately ‘let(ting) your taste decide’.
But don’t just take our word for it, organise you own blind tasting party! Gather together a likeminded bunch of wine drinkers and tell everyone to bring a bottle of wine (Choose either reds or whites). Stick all the wines into identical bottle bags or socks (No peeking) and randomly mix them up. Then taste away!
Look for:
1.Colour- Is it bright or dull? Does the colour go all the way to the tip? This can indicate the wine age, with the colour on more youthful wines going all the way to the rim. . Note any major differences between the wines, particularly in whites.
2. Aroma- Are the smells pungent or restrained? Write down any obvious smells and particularly note anything that smells ‘un-wine like’ as these are usually dead giveaways to wine faults (Which will ruin any of your attempts to guess the wines identity).
3. Taste- Don’t drink too much too quickly! It’s a tasting after all, so only pour yourself small drinks until the unveiling – then you can decide what you really want to drink. Look for more than just fruit flavours: note if the wine is dry, sweet or rich. If it’s a red, look out for tannins (the drying effect on the back of your tongue) and any other sensations in your mouth.
And finally:
4.Guess what your tasting- If you get it wrong, don’t worry, everyone does! It’s more fun to connect the dots and work out why certain wines taste and smell like they do. If you are only very new to wine tasting, try to guess only the price- It is easily the most surprising factor, and if you find a wine you like and it turns out to be a bargain, then the whole exercise is worth it!
The best advice? Try absolutely every wine you can, regardless of the price, and this will lead you to find the wines you really want to drink.
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