Although it can be intimidating at first, blind wine tasting is a very effective exercise to acquire or refine your knowledge of wine. It can also be done in a fun way to enjoy an even more convivial moment! Based on clues like color, smell, taste, and finish, the goal is to guess as many elements as possible about the wine being tasted. What is its color? Which region does it come from? What is its vintage?
The objectives of blind tasting
The principle of blind tasting is simple: it involves guessing the origin of a wine with little or no clues. Some even go as far as to conceal the visual aspect, namely the color and appearance of the wine.
This type of tasting is used by both professionals and amateurs. In the first case, it may be part of a competition or simply to select wines. In the second, this practice is increasingly popular for choosing new wines to enhance one’s cellar, in a completely impartial way. It is therefore not reserved for professionals: it is an excellent exercise to learn to differentiate wines, recognize their winemaking methods, and know if you really like them without being influenced by the label...
It is also a great way to forget prejudices about wine, to taste it without preconceptions, and sometimes to have pleasant surprises.
The steps of a blind tasting
These are the same steps as in a classic tasting, engaging three of our senses: sight (if you choose not to hide the wine's color), smell, and then taste.
Step 1: Visual analysis
The most effective technique is to observe the glass in daylight, against a white background, tilting it at 45°. Then position yourself above and observe the edge of the wine closest to the rim of the glass. Its color will provide an indication of the wine's age. For red wine, it will be more violet if it is young and will lean towards orange if it is older. For white wine, it will be white or green when young, and will also turn orange as it ages.
Color intensity also gives an indication of the grape varieties used, as well as the presence of tannins, alcohol, and acidity. As for the grape varieties, a light wine will generally come from a less sunny region with cool temperatures. Conversely, a darker color often indicates a wine from the South. For white wines, they will also be darker when it is a sweet (sugary) wine.
You can finally observe the wine tears, that is the droplets that form on the glass walls when you swirl it. If they are numerous, this often indicates a high alcohol content (this is the case for many wines from the South). Conversely, if there are few, it will be a wine from a region with less favorable weather.
Step #2: The olfactory analysis
At this stage, you don’t have to try to detect very precise aromas at all costs. To start, you can simply try to identify the "family" of smells. Generally, six main categories are listed:
⦁ Fruits: red, exotic, pome, dried, stone fruits...
⦁ Flowers: rose, violet, jasmine, honeysuckle...
⦁ Vegetal: wood, mushroom, fern, pine, oak, lemongrass, verbena...
⦁ Spices and herbs: honey, nutmeg, vanilla, bay leaf, thyme...
⦁ Animal: leather, fur, musk, game...
⦁ Empyreumatic: tobacco, coffee, flint, toasted bread...
You should also add another category that groups all the "abnormal" smells: when a wine is corked, when the smell of sulfur is too noticeable...
Aromas from the first two categories usually indicate a young wine, or a slightly older one when the fruits are more candied than fresh. Animal or vegetal aromas (notably wood and undergrowth) are, on the contrary, signs of a much older wine. Aromas also help give an idea about the wine’s aging conditions, the grape variety, or the region it comes from (the more mature they are, the warmer the climate).
Step #3: The taste analysis
When tasting the wine, you will need to assess the balance of sweetness and acidity, as well as the level of tannins for reds.
For white wines, it is generally considered that a wine is:
⦁ Sweet, if there is a nice balance between sweetness and acidity.
⦁ Lively, if the acidity clearly dominates over the sweetness.
⦁ Smooth or round, if the fatness slightly dominates over acidity, and the wine has a nice length on the palate (the time the aromas linger in the mouth).
⦁ Full-bodied, if the fatness clearly dominates over acidity. This type of wine ages very well in the cellar.
For reds, they can be characterized in four ways:
⦁ Tannic, when the tannin level dominates over the rest. If tannins are not dominant, then the wines can be of three other types:
If smoothness dominates over acidity:
⦁ Smooth, when the wine’s fatness wraps around the tannin/acidity axis.
If acidity dominates over smoothness:
⦁ Light, when tannins are low, acidity is well present, and there are fruity aromas. These wines are dominated by freshness and have a light color.
⦁ Delicate, when tannins are present but not aggressive, acidity is noticeable, and the nose is more complex.
Our tips for a successful blind tasting
Do you now want to organize your own blind tasting? Follow our tips to impress your guests, whether they are professionals or close friends and family.
1) Hide the identity of the bottles
If you want the tasting to be completely blind—in the strictest sense—you will need to use black, opaque glasses to hide the color of the wine. Another option is to cover the bottle with a sock or an aluminum cover. It is also possible to decant the wine. The color of a wine already provides a lot of information: its grape variety, vintage, appellation...
Be careful in this case to remember the tasting order of your wines to avoid mixing them up. Also, remember to wash or change glasses between each tasting to avoid mixing the flavors of the wines.
2) Select suitable wines
You have two choices. You can either opt for an open tasting where all types of wines are allowed. This is preferable if the guests are experienced tasters. Otherwise, it is better to focus on a specific theme.
For example, organize a tasting around a region (Provence, Burgundy...), or around single-varietal wines. It is also possible to organize a match between two appellations. In any case, don’t hesitate to provide a small explanatory guide for beginners (with information on aromas, colors... specific to each grape variety).
You will then be surprised to see how easy it is for your guests to confuse a light red wine with a rosé or a white.
3) Provide tasting sheets
To make the tasting more friendly and then allow time for comments and debates, we recommend using tasting sheets. They can be simply written, including comments on: color, smell, taste, finish, an overall score, and any additional remarks.
4) Organize a game
For an extra challenge, it can be interesting to organize a game with points awarded based on the wines guessed or not. Depending on the difficulty level of the information to guess, candidates will receive more or fewer points (or also based on their wine knowledge level). This game can be set up in teams, for example if it takes place during a dinner with several tables. You can also plan a prize for the winner.
5) Choose the right moment and the right accompaniments
We also recommend, if the tasting is to take place during a meal, to schedule it preferably before dinner. This is a good way to kick off the evening and prepare guests for the meal. Don’t forget to provide something to accompany the tasting: bread, or cheese (mild, so as not to affect the taste of the wine).
Finally, it can be smart to have a bucket available to empty your glass if needed.
Now that you know everything about blind tastings, all that's left is to get started! And if you want to start gently, you can choose our 2021 Wine Advent Calendar which offers a unique treasure hunt for blind tasting, or our Tournée en AOC gift box (which contains 12 wines, 100% French AOCs).
