We often talk about the benefits of tasting wines “blind”—that is, without any advance information about their place of origin, grape variety, production methodology, or price. To me, it’s the great equalizer when it comes to assessing a wine’s quality, and as a Master Sommelier, I’ve found it invaluable to understanding benchmarks in the classic wine regions of the world.
Since we started SommSelect in 2014, we’ve featured the “Blind Six”: a monthly club-style subscription designed to give aspiring sommeliers and curious connoisseurs alike the chance to sharpen their tasting skills and deepen their wine knowledge. Each month, we select six wines from regions/grapes around the world that would be considered “fair game” on the Master Sommelier exam, wrap them in black tissue paper, number them, and ship them along with my instructions and tasting notes. Think you could identify that Pinot Noir you love if someone served it to you blind? Have some wine-obsessed friends who might enjoy getting together for a blind-tasting competition? You don’t need to be a Master Sommelier candidate to enjoy the Blind Six, and today, you don’t need a monthly subscription, either!