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Blind-tasting wine is all about practice, so in “Vino Blind,” let’s practice together! This is a super fun exercise, especially if you’re prepping for those sommelier exams, like the ones from the Court of Master Sommeliers or WSET. I’ll walk you through the whole blind-tasting deal—from checking out the wine’s look to taking a whiff and sipping it. Along the way, I’ll spill the beans on what’s running through my mind so you can join in on the guessing game too! We’ll piece together our first impression of the wine, thinking about its color, flavors (maybe some cherry, roses, or a dash of smokiness), and structure, like the acidity, tannins, alcohol, body, and sweetness. Then comes the exciting part: figuring out what grapes might be in there, where it might be from, what it’s worth, and maybe even its birth year. And finally, the grand reveal! We’ll find out if we were right or totally off the mark, so we can learn from our tasting adventures. Let’s uncork some wine wisdom!
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Some helpful links:
Wine/Answer (DON’T CLICK unless you want to know the answer): https://tinyurl.com/nhhw9z9d
Our How to Blind Taste Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XglPTBk9VQw
The CMS Tasting Grid: https://www.mastersommeliers.org/sites/default/files/2023%20CMS-A%20Advanced%20and%20Master%20Sommelier%20Deductive%20Tasting%20Format_0.pdf
List of CMS Advanced Level Wines: https://www.mastersommeliers.org/sites/default/files/CMS-A%20Advanced%20Sommelier%20Level%20Wine.pdf
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00:00 Introduction
00:38 Sight
01:21 Nose
02:12 Palate
03:57 Initial Conclusion
09:19 Conclusion
09:48 Reveal
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Possible grapes and places:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Bordeaux – Graves / Haut-Médoc
Australia – Barossa / Coonawarra / Margaret River / McLaren Vale
Chile – Curicó / Maipo / Maule / Rapel
USA – Napa / Sonoma / Central Coast
Cabernet Franc
Loire Valley – Bourgueil / Chinon / Samur-Champigny
Carménère
Chile – Curicó / Maipo / Maule / Rapel
Corvina
Italy – Amazon della Valpolicella
Gamay
Loire Valley, FR – Cru Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages
GSM (CDP, Giogondas, Vaq)
Rhône Valley, FR – Châteauneuf-du-Pape / Gigondas / Vacqueyras
Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina
Merlot (BDX or CA or WA)
Bordeaux – Pomerol / St-Émilion
Nebbiolo
Piedmont, IT – Barolo / Barbaresco
Pinot Noir (Burg, CA, NZ)
Burgundy, FR – Côte d’Or – Village / Premier Cru Grand Cru
USA – Anderson Valley / Carneros / Central Coast / Sonoma Coast / Sonoma Valley / Willamette Valley
New Zealand – Central Otago / Martinborough
Sangiovese (Brun or Chianti)
Brunello di Montalcino, IT
Chianti, IT – Classico / Gran Selezione / Riserva / Ruffina
Syrah (Rhone, Aus, CA or WA)
France – Northern Rhône Valley
Australia – South Australia / Victoria / Western Australia
USA – Central Coast / Sonoma County / Columbia Valley
Tempranillo (Ribera or Rioja)
Spain -Ribera del Duero / Rioja (Crianza, Reserva, or Gran Reserva)
Zinfandel
USA – Napa Valley / Paso Robles / Sonoma Count
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Want to know more? On each episode of V is for Vino, you’ll:
– Meet a winemaker and learn their story. One of the best parts of drinking wine is getting to know the place where it came from and the people who made it!
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– Visit the region. Not everyone gets to travel to wine country as much as they’d like, so experience the beauty and culture firsthand with Vince. Travel the world and sip along from the comfort of your couch!
– Cook dishes that pair at a local restaurant because what’s good wine without good food? Luckily, the world of wine is full of amazing chefs and restaurants ready to serve up something delicious to pair with the wine you just learned about.
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17 Comments
This was a fun one! I hope you're not disappointed in your call; I'm straight up impressed you nailed the grape, especially with the wine's muddied flavors. Extra props for your adorable, snoring feline friend.
How can I suggest you a wine for the next blind tasting, without you know about it? 😂😱
I love these blind tasting videos.
I though it was Cali Cab from the beginning , once you started screaming Oak lol
I just wonder why you restrict yourself to single grapes in the elimination (apart from GSM), as a lot of wines are blends. But fun to watch how you rule out the options. And bravo, because red big wines from the new world are often hard to guess.
The oak with next to no fruit on the nose had me thinking cheaper cali cab but when u said medium tannin & acidity, I was leaning Merlot. At least they didn’t give you Yellow Tail 😁
Please do not be too disappointed in your finding. I have had the that same varietal at Chateau Tanunda when I stayed in Barossa for a month in 2010. And in comparison, I had a blind with opaque glass at Sterling. I could not place what I was drinking until I realized…what I do not like in wines. I then guessed it correctly, merlot, (along with their five other varietals in this blind.) So I say to you as Doug Frost gave me a sliver of his knowledge…find your dislike and use it to your advantage. Cheers!
These are so good, Vince! So damn exciting lol 💀😂🍷 Keep it up!
These are fun and educational videos to watch. Many thanks!
This was great. The oak (or probably chips) sounded American so in a toss-up between Lodi and Australia I went to Australia. That said I wasn´t sure with plum whether they might have blended some Shiraz. No pepper but cheap wines often aren´t that varietal anyway.
Chateau Tanunda, or as I like to call it Chateau Shithouse. Much better Cab Savs in Barossa than this.
My first guess was Zinfandel when you mentioned the rs.
Have learned so much from your great programs…watched you all thru post pandemic… you're really gifted & make wine exciting!🍷👍Thank you!
Yeah I mean unless you tasted and said the word “eucalyptus” I’m not going to go Australia for this. You described cheap new world (especially American) bold red wine. You got new world cab sauv….good enough. I dislike this genera of wine. Thank you assaulting your palate for us!
Since you mentioned sugar + from what you said its very not-destinct I was landing on cheap syrah from Australia. Why? Because cheap syrah from Australia dosnt seem to have the original syrah characaters you find in rhone, and its usually tampered with and this range of quality.
Good job!
That was impressive .. still hitting on the Cab Sav even those this Australian expression is widely different from what one would find in CA or even French wines of that grape. It seems to me Australian Cabs are pretty rare, so, that was an added twist. Now, one thing to note: Amarone is not a grape but rather a wine usually made from 3 grapes from a northeastern region of Italy.
Please keep doing these! I had a lot of fun trying to guess. I also landed on Cabernet Sauvignon but also incorrectly guess the location, this time with Napa.