The cellarThis month5 min read

The Blind Tasting Ritual: Three Pours, No Labels

Every week our sommelier pours three wines into black crystal. Call the region, the grape and the decade — get all three and the bottle is yours.

Why black glasses

Colour lies. A pale garnet edge suggests age; a deep purple core suggests youth — but both can deceive. The black glass removes the visual cue entirely, leaving only nose and palate to make the call.

It also changes the room. Without a label or a colour to anchor to, guests taste more slowly, argue more honestly, and trust their own notes over the wine's reputation. That's the point of the ritual: not to catch people out, but to strip away everything but the liquid.

How the game is scored

Each guest writes three calls per glass: region, variety and decade. All three correct on a single glass wins the bottle — which is why the cellar chooses bottles worth winning.

Two of three correct earns a pour from the reserve list. One correct earns the sommelier's sincere respect and a gentle walkthrough of where the wine was hiding. Nobody leaves empty-handed in terms of the conversation.

The black glass is honest in a way the label never can be. It asks only: what is actually in the glass?

Head sommelier

The bottles we choose

The ritual works best with wines that reward attention — classic regions, honest producers, vintages with a clear signature. A Barolo that announces its tannin, a Hunter semillon that wears its age, a Chablis that could be nothing else.

We avoid trick bottles. The game isn't about catching guests with a Slovenian orange wine that defies category; it's about teaching the palate to read what's actually there. Deception is easy. Clarity is the harder pour.

How to play well

Start with structure, not flavour. Acidity, tannin and alcohol place a wine's origin more reliably than fruit notes — a high-acid red with firm tannin narrows the map faster than 'dark cherry' ever will.

Then commit. The most common losing card is the hedged one — 'Italy or France, maybe 2010s'. The ritual rewards decisiveness; the wine rewards the attention you paid to it.

Key points

If you remember three things

Removing sight of the wine forces the palate to work — and usually improves it.

Structure places a wine faster than flavour: acid and tannin narrow the map before fruit does.

The game rewards committed calls — hedged answers lose even when they're half right.

Questions

Asked about this topic

No — the ritual is designed to be winnable by attention rather than expertise. Beginners often outscore confident guests who over-theorise.

Yes — the game runs per guest, but tables routinely form teams. A team win splits the bottle; the arguments are part of the evening.

Classic regions with clear signatures — Barolo, Hunter semillon, Chablis, vintage Champagne. The cellar list rotates weekly.

The cellar desk

Cellar notes

Written by the sommelier team — the people who choose the bottles, pour them black, and adjudicate the calls.

Call the wine at dinner

The blind tasting runs weekly — book a table and tell the sommelier you're playing.

Reserve the evening All essays

The Blind Tasting Ritual: Three Pours, No Labels

Why black glasses

How the game is scored

The bottles we choose

How to play well

If you remember three things

Asked about this topic

The cellar desk

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