Several of you are loyal followers of our “Vintage Pairs” blind tasting sessions that happen every other month, so we decided to add in an additional blind tasting series that will happen on Saturday afternoons. We will feature a different topic each time, but no pairs to guide you through. All you get is the theme with no other clues. The tasting will include ten wines all tasted blind, and the selection isn’t just from our inventory. So studying our list won’t necessarily help you. But, don’t be intimidated as I will still be helping. This blind tasting session is for all, both the expert and the beginner. We will proceed through the tasting together in an analytical way to uncover the answer of wine region, producer and vintage.

For this first session, the theme is Pinot Noir From Around the World, and I’ve done my best to select wines that are representative of where they are from. I’m not looking to include esoteric wines where the region only makes a little Pinot Noir. Think major areas we associate with Pinot Noir like Burgundy, California, Oregon, New Zealand, Germany and Australia, for example. The idea behind this tasting is that we learn more about Pinot Noir and the unique characteristics that different areas of the world bring to the expression of this grape. Come join me on Saturday, 25 May, with your nose and palate ready to learn a bit more about Pinot Noir and to nail the ten wines I’ve selected for you to taste blind!