Blind Tasting Experience

Millions throughout the world enjoy wine with meals, special occasions, and while just relaxing. But only a relative few can differentiate the characteristics of grape varieties, vineyard appellations, and vintages as accurately as a Master Sommelier.
Identifying what we like is simple. Answering precisely why can be another matter.
Differentiating among several wines in a blind tasting session can seem confusing to the untrained wine drinker. Knowledgeable wine drinkers use terms like “complexity,” “balance,” “bouquet,” “intensity,” and “length,” but what do these mean?

Factors that Affect the Taste of Wine

Visitors to Napa Valley come to enjoy the scenery, entertainment, incredible food, outdoor activities, tours, and, most of all, Napa wine tasting at more than 400 wineries. Napa Valley is blessed with unique soil diversity, elevation differences, and multiple microclimates that support many grape varieties in a relatively small area.
Variances in variety and growing conditions impact the ultimate wine quality. Warmer than typical weather may impart tropical flavors while higher elevation increases the acidity of the wines. Sea breezes, for example, can cause grapes to ripen at a slower rate while delivering a more consistent flavor than protected growing areas.
Besides the vineyard locations and grape varieties, other influences on wine taste and structure include:

Tannins: Present in the skins, stems, and pips in the grape tannins should harmonize with the fruit. Too much or less ripe tannins may be less pleasant.

Aging/Fermenting in Oak: Oak barrels used for aging wines can impart a substantial influence on the taste of the wines. Variances in the oak, a natural product itself, combine with the “toasting” or firing of the barrel material will further impact the finished wine flavors.

Time: As wines age, the taste changes. While some young wines can be enjoyed, others are aged for a specific minimum number of years to achieve proper balance. The platform of drinkability varies with each wine variety.

Serving Temperatures: Ideally, red wines should be served within a range of 61°-66°F (16°-19°C) while white wines should be served between 50°-59°F (10°-15°C).

Wine Tasting Steps

When tasting, the process includes watching the wine as it is poured and while in the glass. Swirl the wine to help it aerate while releasing the aroma. Smell the wine to determine intensity and fragrances that may be present. Finally, sip to determine sweetness, acidity, tannins or mouth-drying effect, and alcohol.

Blind Tasting Scorecard

When blind tasting two or more wines, you will need a scorecard. In each category, you will attempt to determine between five to eight characteristics.
Typical scorecards organize the attributes down by:
• Visual Appearance: Clarity, brightness, intensity, color, viscosity
• Nose/Palate: Intensity, bouquet, fruitiness, earthy influences, oak
• Structure: Sweetness, body, acidity, alcohol, tannins, balance, complexity
• Conclusions and Scoring Assessments: Grape or blend, quality level, climate, a possible region of origin, and vintage.

Want to Learn More? Try the Blind Tasting Experience at Hill Family Estate

While visiting Napa Valley, stop by our tasting room in Yountville to enjoy our excellent wines and even participate in an educational blind wine tasting experience. By helping you to compare four different wines, we will educate you about the characteristics of grape varieties, vineyard appellations, and vintages. Armed with this information, you will have a chance to guess which wine is in each of the four glasses.
As fun as it is educational, our blind tasting experience will provide you with enough knowledge to make your future Napa wine tasting even more fulfilling.
Blind tasting sessions are held daily at 10:30 AM by advanced appointment.
For more information, check out our Hill Family Estate website or call 1-707-944-9580 to schedule your blind tasting experience.