Dare blind tasting!

You probably remember that childhood “taste test” game where you tried different foods with your eyes closed. Now that you’re an adult, why not play a similar game but with wine? Here are two Parisian spots offering special “blind tasting” evenings:

1) Discovering Wines from Around the World at Les Caves Legrand

Identifying a white or rosé, recognizing grape varieties, determining if a wine is old or young… There are so many criteria to consider during a wine tasting that the rules of a blind tasting can be numerous and vary in difficulty. At Les Caves Legrand (Paris 2nd arrondissement), for instance, you can participate in blind tastings focusing on wines from around the world. You’ll be challenged to identify the country, grape varieties, and more. The format of these evenings involves playing in teams and completing a multiple-choice questionnaire about the wines you’ve tasted. And, as with any game, there’s a reward: the winning team gets to take home one of the bottles tasted!

2) A Tour of French Wines

The company Oenoparis also organizes blind wine tastings. Similar to Les Caves Legrand, you’ll play in teams and fill out a quiz at the end. However, this time, the focus is exclusively on French wines. You can expect to taste wines from the Loire Valley, Burgundy, or Bordeaux. Over 1.5 hours, you’ll sample 5 wines from 5 different French wine regions. It’s a challenge, we admit. But after this “trial by fire,” you’ll be better equipped to recognize the characteristics of different vineyards, and you’ll never confuse a Burgundy with a Bordeaux again!

What’s the Benefit of Tasting Blindfolded?

Most professionals agree that wine tasting involves a significant amount of subjectivity. This means that the same wine can taste completely different depending on the context in which it is enjoyed. For example, you might absolutely love a wine when drinking it with friends, but you may find it less appealing if tasted at another time, to the point where it seems like a completely different wine. Blind tasting introduces a more objective dimension, as you’re not influenced by the label. In most blind tastings, the taster is blindfolded or the bottle label is covered with a white paper.

FAQ - Blind tasting

What is blind wine tasting?

It is a tasting where the wine is sampled without knowing its label: the taster is blindfolded or the bottle is covered with white paper. The goal is to judge the wine on its qualities alone, without being swayed by its name, reputation or price.

How do you organize a blind tasting at home?

Cover the bottles with paper or a sock, then pour the glasses without revealing the order. Each person notes the colour, the likely grape variety, the region and the age of the wine before comparing impressions and unveiling the labels. Playing in teams makes it more fun.

What is the point of tasting wine blindfolded?

Without the label, you are not influenced by a wine’s reputation or price, which brings a more objective dimension to the tasting. The exercise also helps you better recognize grape varieties and the traits specific to each wine region.

How many wines do you taste in a blind tasting?

It depends on the format. Some Parisian evenings offer, for example, 5 wines from 5 different French wine regions over about 1.5 hours. At home, three to five wines are enough to compare without tiring your palate.

Where can you do a blind tasting in Paris?

Several Parisian venues offer them, such as Les Caves Legrand (Paris 2nd arrondissement), focused on wines from around the world, or the company Oenoparis, centred on French wines. In both cases you play in teams and fill out a quiz at the end, sometimes with a bottle to win.