What is a blind tasting and what is it for?

As obvious as it may seem, the title of this new entry does not refer to a test system in which the eyes of the participants are bandaged. Entering the subject, a blind tasting is one that evaluates different wine samples without knowing what specific labels have been served.

The only difference that exists with other types of tastings is that, initially, the specific data of the wine that is in the glass is unknown while, at the same time, the usual steps of the traditional process are followed.

What it is done for: the objective of a blind wine tasting

The purpose of this practice is to set aside the prejudices and prior opinions formed on a particular product. It is very useful to ignore the personal preferences of each participant and obtain conclusions as objective as possible.

In addition, those also known as ‘blind tasting’ serve to define in which position or range a wine should be placed when its sales begins in the market and, above all, to sharpen the senses and mark parameters that allow to point out other important aspects of the wine, as its origin or its aromas.

How to organize a blind tasting

As for its development, do not expect to find large differences between this tasting model and other more common ones, such as a vertical or horizontal tasting.

You only need several glasses of equal measure for all samples and number of tasters, a ventilated and bright enclosure, notebooks for making notes, water, neutral cookies and all those additional objects that are needed so that each one can perform their work correctly .

On the other hand, in terms of order, it is very important that a criterion is followed, whether by harvest, by style of wine or by strain. The fact that it is blind does not mean that wines should be served randomly and incoherently, since that can result in poor results.

Anyway, the real key is that the person in charge of organizing and serving

the samples do it carefully, without the rest discovering what wines they are to not condition their valuations.

Cata a ciegas: cuidado con todos los detalles

Without wanting to cheat in a premeditated way, it is very typical that some tasters have enough knowledge to know what wine it is without even having to try it. Many of them have a lot of information about formats of bottles, corks, capsules or colors. Therefore, it is recommended that all samples be covered with great care, without leaving any aspect without hiding.

However, it is not advisable that the tasting is totally blind, with a lack of information, that is, it is always good to share some information about what you are going to taste: origin, harvest, price range … With these details, The taster can orient, more or less, its result according to the intention of the organizer of the blind tasting.

Tricks for a blind tasting

Some wines are much easier to recognize than others. For example, in many of them its color or its flavors are very obvious, directly providing clear data about its origin, elaboration process or cellar.

A good trick to prevent this from happening is to repeat the sample within the same batch. Thus, tasters are puzzled, who will think they are different wines, and are forced to further refine their senses in order to extract a similar result for both glasses.

Finally, we recommend that you opt for black cups, as they ensure objectivity and maximum concentration in the tasting itself. If you do not have sight as the first stimulus, there is a need to use the rest of the senses. In addition, the dark glasses not only make it impossible to know the color, but, at first glance, the presence of carbonic gas or sediments of the wine is also not recognized.