In the movies, there’s a magical aura around the sommelier who takes a quick whiff of a wine glass and, as if possessed by some greater force, correctly rattles off a grape, vintage and region.
“People are fascinated by blind tasting because they see it as a parlor trick,” says Chase Sinzer, co-owner of Penny and Claud in New York City. “In reality, though, it’s a practiced, sustained skill.”
Nikita Malhotra, wine director of New York City’s New England-inspired seafood spot, Smithereens, explains that there are pros and cons to the experience; having the context of the vineyard and producer is key to understanding more about any particular wine in the long run, but blind tasting (colloquially known as “blinding”) is an undeniably fun and communal way to gain confidence in your palate.
“Sommeliers and pros just love to use blind tasting to stump one another,” Malhotra says.
Whether you’re looking to build on your wine knowledge or just get together with a group of friends and a case of picks that everyone has contributed a bottle to, read on for everything you need to know to host a blind-tasting party at home.
Know Your Audience
No pun intended: A blind tasting is not the best time for the blind to lead the blind.
“You wouldn’t wanna stick a bunch of people who have never baked bread in the kitchen,” says Malhotra. “Get that one friend who really loves wine to guide everyone.”
Once you’ve appointed a group leader, Katie Hubbard, wine director at Pammy’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts, suggests taking a hint from some of your favorite classic games.
“I’ve done Clue, Guess Who and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? -themed blind tastings before, wherein tasters are given clues as to what the wine in the glass may be, then have to use their senses to detect what’s inside,” she explains. “There are simply so many ways to thematically go about preparing a blind tasting to cater to guest knowledge levels.”
Games aside, there are a few ways you can make your blind tastings easier for beginners, or a bit more challenging.
For a Group of Mostly Beginners
Start with what you know (or want to know)
Hubbard explains that a familiar style or producer your group drinks often can serve as a great jumping-off point for blinding.
“Choose four wines you’ve had many times, and see if you can pinpoint what they are when all their labels are stripped away,” she says.
Similarly, Chantal Forthun, winemaker at Flowers Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg, California, suggests picking a wine region that you’d like to get to know better or plan a trip to, so you can experience the place through its wines.
“For instance, you can take a sensory journey to Sicily through a blind tasting of white and red wines from the volcanic soils of Sicily’s Mount Etna region,” she says.
Around the world with one grape
An “around the world” tasting of a single variety is another tried-and-true way to explore the different regional and climatic expressions of any grape.
Kristin Courville, sommelier at the restaurant Forge in New York City, says that Pinot Noir is an especially great choice for beginners because so many drinkers are familiar with it, despite how differently it shows up in wines.
“Our winemaking team at Flowers recently did a ‘Riesling from around the world’ blind tasting with Riesling from Germany, Alsace, California, Finger Lakes and the Okanagan Valley in Canada,” Forthun adds. “It was fun trying to guess the wine’s provenance based on acidity and aromatic profile that indicated a warmer versus a cooler climate.”
Aromatic vs. non-aromatic grapes
Tasting non-aromatic grapes like Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay from France alongside aromatic grapes like Muscat and Gewurtztraminer is a great way to learn to blind-taste at the beginner level.
“With these grapes, people really notice the differences in aroma because they’re so pronounced,” explains Sinzer, who adds that tasting based on a broader region (like France or Italy) is another good way into the experience.
