Wine for the First Blind Tasting

Today was our first test: 25 multiple choice questions and a blind tasting of one red wine and one white. For those unfamiliar with this, a blind tasting is a tasting of wines when you have no idea what they are. In the case of our class today, and at the Certified exam, which is administered by The Court of Master Sommeliers, we are given one glass of red wine and one of white. We are also given a tasting grid on which we rate things like nose, or aromas in the wine (do we get fruit? If so, what kind of fruit? Do we get spice, herbs, if so what kind? Earth or mineral? If so, what? Do we think the wine was aged in oak, and if so, why?) palate or taste (does the wine have low, medium or high acid, sugar, tannin, alcohol, a long or short finish), and overall conclusions (warm, cool or moderate climate; country we think the wine is from (the options on this grid are France, Italy, USA, Australia, New Zealand); varietal (Chardonnay, Riesling, Cab/Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, etc.) and finally vintage.

Needless to say, this is very hard, and today, I got both wines wrong. On a brighter note, I did very well on the theory exam. But I like to do well. I always like to be good at whatever I do, and when I don't do well I start to doubt whether I will ever be able to do it. So of course I start to question my decision and worry that I have made a big mistake. What if it turns out I'm no good at this at all and I will have to try and find something else that I enjoy? What if I actually have a terrible palate and I never improve?

But before I go too far down that road, I have to stop and remind myself of a few things: I am new at this, which is why I decided to take a class in the first place; if I already knew how to identify every wine in a blind tasting, I wouldn't need to take the class, I would just go straight to the exam; the teacher himself said that this test is used as a baseline, so we know where we are starting from and where we want to go. Perhaps most important for me to remind myself is that NO ONE in the class guessed both the red and the white varietal correctly, not even the know-it-all guy (there's always one in every class, isn't there?). Out of 21 people in the class, 9 of us got both varietals wrong, and twelve people guessed one. Only two people guessed the red varietal. So I am not the only one who has a lot to learn!

What I also have to remember is that it is possible to guess the varietals wrong and still pass the exam, because each of the other items on the grid (tannins, fruit, acid, climate, etc.) has a point value, and guessing the actual varietal is only worth about 2 points. So The Court is not only looking at what conclusion you finally draw, they're also looking at how you get there.

So I am going to give myself a break. Tomorrow is my birthday, and Steve and I are going to spend the night in Napa. I will relax, have a delicious dinner, and of course, a nice glass of wine (or two).

My wine for the first blind tasting? Well I don't know, do I? It is a blind tasting after all. But I can tell you this: it's red. You decide what kind.

Have a great weekend.