Lessons from a Blind Wine Tasting:
When it comes to blind wine tasting, I remind myself of the surprising fact that former world number one tennis player Roger Federer won only 54% of the points he played during his career. You might have heard of a similar statistic that exists in reference to Michael Jordan’s scoring average – 49.7% of his shots from the floor went in. Which means that 50.3% didn’t.
The takeaway? Like in sport, in blind tasting, you won’t always get it right; you won’t always pick the wines correctly. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your competency as a taster is in question. The key is being accurate in your assessment of the characteristics of a wine (e.g. aromatic, high levels of acidity, light body etc.) and its quality level. Then, if your conclusion as to the wine’s identity is logical and consistent with your assessment, that is a good result even if incorrect. For example, you may call a wine with zesty high acidity, a light body, no apparent oak influence and restrained citrus and floral aromas to be a Chardonnay from Chablis whereas in actual fact it is an Albariño. While you have not picked the wine correctly, you have accurately detected defining features of the wine and made a reasonable conclusion based on that and grounded in theory. No small feat.
This is especially true as improved techniques in the vineyard and winery have blurred the distinction between different wines around the world. Wines are now less and less a caricature of themselves. Discerning a well-made New World Pinot Noir from an Old World one, for instance, has become increasingly difficult. Climate change has played a role here too.
Logical Reasoning in Blind Wine Tasting:
With this in mind, the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and the Institute of Masters of Wine place significant emphasis on observations and reasoning in tastings. Like a maths problem in an exam, it’s not always entirely about the final result. You may get the answer “wrong” but if your contention is logical, a great many marks may still be available.
This philosophy of the importance of logical reasoning was discussed at the first Sommeliers Australia blind tasting for the year in Victoria held at The Tea Room. The four wines tasted blind were:
2024 Serra da Estrala, Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain (13% abv)
2023 Yalumba, The Virgilius, Viognier, Eden Vally, Australia (12.5% abv)
2021 Weingut am Schlipf Weil am Rhein, Spätburgunder, Baden, Germany (12.5% abv)
2021 Anduma, Il Fiume, Barbaresco, Italy (14.5% abv)
The tasting highlighted structural contrasts between the two whites and between the two reds. For the whites, it was about the difference in acidity levels while for the reds, varying degrees of tannins were on display.
Consistency in Blind Wine Tasting:
Two other matters were also raised before the tasting began. The first was to try and blind taste wine at least once a week. Like learning to play the piano, consistency is key. It is arguably better to blind taste on a smaller scale once a week than, say, do one major blind tasting session at the end of each month. The higher frequency helping to more effectively build “muscle memory” and calibrate the palate.
Focus on the Structural Elements of Wine:
Finally, it was suggested to concentrate attention more on the structure of a wine than its aromatics when blind tasting to try and work out what it is. This point was also made by a number of the judges on the expert panel of last years’ Sommelier’s Australia Education Scholarship. Structural characteristics are said to be a more reliable indicator of wine style and provenance than aromatics, which can mislead. That is not to necessarily say that aromatics will be unhelpful, but rather that greater emphasis should be placed on the palate than nose. In the case of the Il Fiume, Barbaresco, the firm chalky tannins, mouthwatering acidity and warming alcohol were all consistent with it being a Nebbiolo. The high tannins, in particular, ruled out the possibility of Pinot Noir or Grenache. Colour can also be a helpful indicator, with the pale ruby of this wine being in line with the variety.
In a similar way, the lower acidity and generous body of the Yalumba Viognier was as would be expected of the variety (though this was still quite an energetic example). The lovely exuberant aromas of apricot and jasmine were also relevant to determining the variety but secondary to considering the structure of the wine.
It was a wonderful afternoon and a welcome reminder to blind taste more often!
At Cru Cellar Management, as well as wine consulting and wine education, we curate wine tastings including in blind format. Contact us today to discuss.