The Grand Reveal!! A Lookback at our Evening of Mystery Blind Wine Tasting
Last Thursday we had the pleasure of hosting a wine tasting with a difference! At our "Evening of Mystery Blind Wine Tasting" all of the wines were hidden in numbered wine bags, and wines poured into black tasting glasses, so guests couldn't even tell if the wine they were tasting was red, white or rosé. We provided guests with a sheet outlining some of the key characteristics of certain grapes they might find in the wines, along with some tasting tips throughout the evening - and this time instead of us explaining the wine, we were asking our guests to tell us what they were experiencing in the glass and to make a guess on the grape variety and even the country the wine was from if they wanted to!
We started the evening serving a slice of melon to act as a palate cleanser. It's always important to make sure you are tasting wine with a fresh palate, without recently tasting strong flavours such as toothpaste or coffee, and also avoiding strong smells such as perfume or smoke. So the melon was a good choice to serve to ensure everyone's palates were nice and fresh.
It was then time to try our first wine, which most guests correctly guessed was white! It was so interesting to hear people's guesses to the grape variety and their reasons for making that choice. For this wine we had chosen a classic grape variety but from a slightly more unusual country (the wines will be revealed further down!)
The second wine was another white which was also correctly guessed, with some correct guesses to the grape variety. It was a highly acidic grape with strong notes of lime and a little petrol on the finish (any guesses?)
Next up was wine with a little texture, some light flavours of strawberries, melon and a touch of sweetness. This one threw most of our guests off and was unexpectedly a rosé! It was so fascinating to see how tricky it was to guess even the colour of the wine without being able to see the colour.
Our next wine was a light style of red, lightly chilled to suit the style being served. Interestingly even though this was a lighter style of red, guests could immediately detect the tannin in the wine and distinguish that this was a red wine. However many perceived it to be a richer style of red than it was.
The next wine was probably the trickiest to discern, a rich and oaky style of white wine, with a slightly peppery note on the finish. Even the most experienced of wine tasters would have found it a challenge to correctly guess as the rich oak flavours could potentially be mistaken for tannin.
Our last two wines were a richer style of red, with some oak ageing, and we had many correct guesses to the grape variety of the sixth wine. The last wine, another richer red was less known but a stunning wine to finish on.
It was the time for the grand reveal and our guests took delight in discovering which wines they had correctly guessed. The lineup was as follows:
- Bon Courage Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa)
- Dr Loosen Dry Riesling (Germany)
- La Jaglerie Rosé d'Anjou (Cabernet Franc and Grolleau grapes, France)
- Albert Bichot Beaujolais (Gamay grape, France)
- David Finlayson Chenin Blanc (South Africa)
- Senorial Rioja Reserva (Tempranillo grape, Spain)
- Chamonix Pinotage (South Africa)
We had a fantastic time hosting this very special tasting, and hope our guests enjoyed tasting wine in this slightly unusual way! Lookout for more tastings coming up soon. To explore our full list of our wine & spirits tasting events click here.
Cheers,
