by Gareth Groves
Everyone knows blind tasting is tough. It is a vinous minefield that can damage reputations and ego in equal measure. One is reminded of the old Harry Waugh story, when the legendary stalwart of the British wine trade was asked when he had last confused Burgundy with Bordeaux: “Not since lunch” came the reply.
Down at Imbibe 2010 last week, two of the UK’s heavyweight merchants joined forces with leading sommeliers to put their reputations on the line in a blind tasting challenge billed as Viniversity Challenge. In the blue corner we had Liberty MD David Gleave and Galvin La Chapelle sommelier Andrea Briccarello. In the bright pink corduroy corner we had Bibendum’s very own Willie Lebus alongside Zuma’s Alessandro Marchesan. Keeping the peace in the middle was Peter McCombie MW.
The concept was simple: three wines served blind with a series of questions to follow. The wines were anything but simple: a blanc de blancs NV Champagne, a Semillon/Assyrtiko from Greece and a Tempranillo-led blend from Costers del Segre in Spain. Points were not easy to come by.
Team Lebus took an early lead by nailing the blanc de blancs only to see Messrs Gleave & Briccarello peg them back with some smart guessing on the second two wines. Both teams initially thought the Greek white was from Bordeaux and went twice round the world (South Africa? Tuscany? New Zealand? Mendoza?) before getting anywhere close. Happily for all concerned, the contest finished in a dead heat with honours shared and reputations intact.
Before the tasting had started, I asked the Andres Iniesta of the wine world, Spanish Sommelier of the Year Bruno Murciano to identify the same three wines Willie & Co were tasting on the stage. He managed one out of three – and even thought the Spanish wine was red Bordeaux. Proof – if any was needed – of how hard blind tasting really is. If Bruno can’t pick a wine, what chance do the rest of us have?
What I’d like to hear about is your bind tasting nightmares and triumphs: when was the last time you nailed a wine right down to the producer and the vintage? And when did you confidently declare a wine to be from Burgundy only to be told it had Barossa on the label? Just last week in the office, I mistook a Menetou-Salon for an aromatic Alsace white (the shame!)… but I prefer to remember the time I correctly picked out Hamilton Russell Chardonnay from a line-up of New World lookalikes in a mock Diploma exam.
Share your stories in the comments.
Tags: Bibendum, blind tasting, Imbibe, sommeliers, wine tasting