06/26/07 Blind Tasting Wine

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran and today we're going to discuss some methods of tasting wine that will help you to develop your skills. If you've started a fairly serious wine tasting group, then no doubt you are looking for ways to test yourselves. When doing any serious tasting I recommend doing it blind. Not literally blind folded, but tasting without knowing what the wine is. Have a person who is not involved with the tasting put all of the wines into brown bags and pour tastes for the participants before they enter the tasting room. Hopefully, you will challenge yourselves to identify common characteristics of wines and better identify your personal preferences. It's fun and it seems to take away any prejudices the group may have based on price or producer. A triangle test is another effective exercise. You will do this blind as well. You must have three glasses - all different sizes. Using two different makers of the same varietal, let's say Cabernet Sauvignon, have someone not involved in the tasting, place the first wine in two of the glasses and the second wine in the remaining glass. You'll be shocked at how different types of glasses and, not knowing what you're drinking, will force you to rely on your nose and your mouth to tell you just what's what. Do not unveil the wines until everyone has tasted, scored and ranked them. Have fun being serious about your wine education. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.