What is blind tasting?
Quick answer
Blind tasting means evaluating a wine without knowing its identity (label hidden). The method eliminates brand and price bias, allowing an objective assessment based purely on sensory qualities.
Detailed answer
Blind tasting is the cornerstone of objective wine evaluation. The principle: bottles are concealed (wrapped in paper, socks, or poured into numbered decanters) so the taster cannot identify the wine.
The goal is to eliminate cognitive bias. Neuroscience research (Plassmann et al., 2008, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) demonstrated that knowing a wine's price literally alters the pleasure response in the brain. Blind tasting bypasses this.
Two main formats exist. Single-blind tasting: the taster doesn't know which wine is which but knows the pool (e.g., '6 Bordeaux 2015'). Double-blind tasting: the taster knows nothing — not the wines, regions, or vintages.
The Judgment of Paris (1976) is the most famous example: in a blind tasting organised by Steven Spurrier, Californian wines beat France's top crus, shaking the wine world to its core.
To run a blind tasting at home: pick 4-6 wines of a similar style, wrap the bottles, number them, taste in order, write down your impressions, then reveal identities. It is an excellent learning exercise and a great social activity.
How to run a blind tasting
- Pick 4-6 wines of the same style or grape
- Wrap each bottle (paper, sock)
- Number the bottles (no visible markings)
- Taste in order, score each wine
- Reveal identities and compare notes