Blind Tasting Instructions

When we created SommSelect, we designed the Blind 6 kit not just for aspiring sommeliers, but for anyone who’s curious about wine and wants to sharpen their tasting skills.

The blind tasting portion of the Master Sommelier exam is undoubtedly the most challenging. Imagine facing six wines without any information and having to identify the grape, country, region, and even the vintage. It’s a demanding test, but also a fantastic way to develop your palate and build a strong foundation of wine knowledge.

Each month, we curate a selection of wines from the world’s most renowned grape varieties and regions — the types of wines you’d encounter in a high-level examination. Each bottle in this kit is individually wrapped, and we provide tasting notes to guide your assessment. We’ve also included the tasting grid used by Master Sommeliers for your reference.

The key to mastering blind tasting lies in consistent practice. Every time you open a bottle, you’re training your taste memory. Gradually, the characteristics of classic wine styles will become instantly recognizable. This allows you to determine if you enjoy those qualities and how this particular wine compares to others you’ve experienced.

The wines in The Blind 6 are exceptional examples, chosen not only for educational purposes but also for pure enjoyment. Don’t forget to savor the experience!

Cheers!

Getting Started

Before you begin, gather some basic supplies:

A wine opener
6 all-purpose wine glasses
A white sheet of paper (to assess color)
A pen to record your impressions

Make sure to chill the whites (bottles 1–3) to 45–50°F, and gently chill the reds to 60–65°F. As a general rule of thumb, you can put the white wines in the refrigerator for an hour beforehand and the reds for 20 minutes.

When ready to taste, you can pour directly from the tissue-wrapped bottles, but we recommend having a non-participant open the bottles and pour them into a decanter, numbering them accordingly. This ensures your assessments will not be influenced by the bottle shape or any information printed on the capsule or cork.

Once each wine has been poured into the glass, follow the step-by-step analysis outlined below. The analysis is broken into three categories: Sight, Nose & Palate, and Structure. Record your impressions on the tasting sheets at the back of this booklet.

Once you have stated your conclusions, feel free to open the results booklet and see how you did!

Sight

Tilt the glass away from you over a white sheet of paper. The color and viscosity of the liquid are the first indicators as to what kind of wine it is.

Color

Color is influenced by climate/region as well as grape variety.
A white wine with a slight green hue can indicate a cooler climate, like a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, France.
Color saturation is also a key indicator: some grapes produce wines with lighter hues, like Pinot Noir, while others are known for their deeper, darker appearance, like Malbec.
Color also indicates a wine’s age: whites deepen in color as they age (like an apple browning), while reds lose color, turning amber/orange over time.

Viscosity (“Legs” or “Tears”)

The streaks of liquid that run down the glass after a swirl can be telling:
- Slow legs = higher alcohol or residual sugar
- Dry wine with slow legs = likely higher alcohol (warm climate)
- Thick legs with sweetness = residual sugar, often low alcohol (e.g., Sauternes)

Meniscus (Rim)

The meniscus is where the wine meets the glass.
A lighter rim in red wines indicates age or certain varieties that lose color faster (Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Tempranillo, Sangiovese).

Nose & Palate

Analyze aromatics, then take a sip to see if your nose impressions match your palate. Record separately under Nose and Palate.

Fruit

Fruit aromas indicate variety, climate, and age.
Black fruits (blackcurrant, blackberry) = Cabernet Sauvignon
Red fruits (cranberry, cherry) = Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo
Consider type (berries, stone fruit, tropical) and condition (underripe, ripe, overripe)
Fruit-forward = New World; restrained = Old World

Earth

Earthy or mineral notes = often Old World wines
Truffles/mushrooms = Pinot Noir from Burgundy
Chalk/minerality = Sauvignon Blanc from Loire, Chardonnay from Chablis
Wet slate = Riesling from Mosel

Flowers, Herbs & Other

Purple flowers = Cabernet Sauvignon; red flowers = Pinot Noir
Floral-heavy whites = Gewurztraminer, Torrontes, Muscat
Fresh herbs = Sauvignon Blanc; dried herbs = Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
“Petrol” = Riesling
Vegetal (roasted peppers, canned asparagus) = Bordeaux varieties

Wood

French oak: vanilla, baking spices, cedar
American oak: coconut, dill, wood chips, artificial vanilla
Presence/type of oak = geographic clue

Structure

Structure is how the wine feels on your palate. Sommeliers judge on a scale of 1–10 and strata: low, medium-minus, medium, medium-plus, high.

Acidity

Hold wine in mouth for 30 seconds; count seconds mouth waters afterward
15 sec = low to medium-minus, 1 min = high acidity
High acidity = German Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo
Low acidity = Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Merlot, Grenache

Alcohol

High alcohol = warm climate, ripe grapes
Low alcohol = cool climate, lower sugar at harvest
Some varieties (Zinfandel, Nebbiolo) naturally high alcohol

Complexity

Low complexity = few aromas
High complexity = multiple fruit, flower, herb, earth, and wood aromas
Medium = somewhere in between

Tannin

Tannins = bitterness/drying, mostly in reds
Low = Gamay, Pinot Noir; High = Malbec, Nebbiolo
White wines usually tannin-free unless oak-aged

Length

Short finish = inexpensive wines
Long finish = higher quality
Measure how long flavors linger after swallowing

Conclusions

Regional Wine Traits

Explore wines of the world to associate stylistic traits with regions
Terroir = climate, soil, latitude, vineyard exposure
New World = fruit-forward, soft, ripe
Old World = austere, mineral/earthy
Exceptions exist; practice is essential

Initial Conclusions

Based on evidence or hunch, answer:

a. New World or Old World?
b. Climate: cool, moderate, warm
c. Likely grape variety
d. Likely country
e. Approximate age: 1–3 yrs, 3–5 yrs, 5–10 yrs, 10+