blind wine tasting | The Rambling Epicure

Taste Unlocked Equinox 2015

Published by Jonell Galloway + Monday, September 21, 2015 Permalink 0

Taste Unlocked Autumn Equinox 2015 in Chartres, France

Taste Unlocked 2015 was a great success. Our guests have returned to England, but the house reverberates with the still-fresh memories of their presence and the joys of good food, fine wine and the excellent company we shared. Happy souvenirs of their visit, a few unfinished bottles we tasted will be emptied in coming days, but we shall toast our special guests each time we partake.

I prepared traditional dishes from the Beauce region, using the recipes I’ve researched over the years and the best products from local farmers and producers. These were accompanied by what we consider our local wine, that of the Loire Valley, which starts less than 50 miles down the road from here.

ChartresCathedralLighted2

We kicked off the weekend on Thursday over a dinner of locally farmed duck cooked in Eure-et-Loire apple cider and served with Beauce turnips and carrots and apples. This was followed by a curried green gauge plum sautée with Financier almond cake.

The Art of Tasting Wine

Published by Jonell Galloway + Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Permalink 0

by James Flewellen

I learned to taste wine through the medium of blind tasting. Contrary to popular perception, blind tasting does not involve fumbling around a table laden with wine glasses with your sight impeded by blindfolds. Rather, it simply means the identification of wine is unknown before tasting and assessing the wine. Without knowledge of the wine’s origin, prestige or price you can assess a wine objectively and without the prejudice of knowing the label. It is the method of tasting employed by wine professionals at most wine competitions and is an important component of Master of Wine and sommelier examinations.

Steven Spurrier, wine expert, Paris

Famously, a blind tasting organised by Steven Spurrier in 1976 – the Judgement of Paris – shattered the perception of France as the supreme producer of wine. Top whites (Chardonnay) and reds (Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blends as found in Bordeaux) from both California and France were submitted to a blind tasting in Paris. Eleven judges, nine of whom were French, assessed the wines blind for their quality with the surprising result that California came out on top in a number of categories. The tasting has proved controversial for many; nevertheless, it served to highlight the importance of objectivity when tasting wine and not to pay undue attention to the label!