There’s something special about a blind tasting evening — the moment when labels disappear, expectations are stripped away, and it’s just you, the glass, and your senses.
Our latest event took guests on a journey across Spain, Uruguay, France, South Africa, Italy, Chile, and the USA, all without revealing a single label until the very end.
Eight wines, carefully selected to showcase both Old World elegance and New World expression, were tasted completely blind:
Guests were challenged not only to decide what they liked but where it might be from.
The evening was built around a simple but revealing concept:
Can you tell the difference between Old World and New World wines?
From the crisp, mineral-driven Albariño of Spain versus its riper Uruguayan counterpart, to the contrast between Loire Valley Chenin Blanc and South African Stellenbosch expressions, each pairing sparked discussion, surprise, and a few changed opinions.
The red wines brought just as much intrigue — particularly the Primitivo vs Zinfandel comparison, where guests discovered that although genetically identical, the wines can taste remarkably different depending on where they’re grown. This was the grape that people identified the quickest from all those listed. Pinot Noir was recognisable by a few, a handful knew the Chenin Blanc but most thought this was Chardonnay. The Albariño was a redherring which no-one saw coming!
To keep everyone on their toes, each flight was paired with interactive A/B quiz rounds, covering:
The quizzes brought plenty of laughter, a bit of friendly competition and 1st and 2nd places won a bottle from the night.
Events like this are exactly what wine should be about exploration, conversation, and a bit of fun along the way.
Whether guests correctly guessed the wines or not (and most didn’t get them all!), everyone left with a deeper understanding and a few new favourites.
To enter the quiz guests paid into a charity pot. Our charity partner this year is St. Wilfrids and we managed to raise £203 for the charity! A big thank you to everyone!
If you’d like to join a future tasting — or even host your own themed evening — keep an eye out for upcoming wine tasting events here.
