Blind tasting: what it is and how to try it

Quick answer: what is blind tasting?

Blind tasting is tasting wine without being told its identity, or without being given information that could influence your judgement. The bottle might be covered, the wine poured into coded glasses, or details such as producer, grape variety, region, vintage and price withheld.

The point is not to prove that you can name a wine. Blind tasting creates a more controlled opportunity to notice what is in the glass before expectations take over. Knowing that a wine is expensive, famous or from a particular region can influence what you expect to taste and how you evaluate it. Blind tasting can reduce some of those effects, but it cannot remove every bias.

A useful blind tasting moves from observation to hypothesis. First describe what you notice. Then consider what those clues might suggest. Only after that should the wine be revealed and your reasoning reviewed.

Blind, partially blind and double-blind

These terms are used somewhat differently in wine education, sensory research and informal tasting groups. The important question is not the label but who knows what.

• Blind tasting: the taster does not know the wine’s identity or selected identifying details.
• Partially blind or semi-blind tasting: some information is provided while other information is withheld. For example, you might know that all the wines are Australian Shiraz but not know their producers or vintages.
• Singly blind tasting: one relevant party, usually the taster, does not know the identities.
• Double-blind tasting: neither the taster nor the person administering the tasting knows the identities during the session. The code is held separately and revealed later.

In casual use, “double-blind” can mean little more than “the tasters do not know”. If the distinction matters, explain the arrangement plainly: who prepared the samples, who knows the code and when it will be revealed.

Why blind taste?

Blind tasting is useful for four main reasons.

It reduces expectation clues

Labels, prices, descriptions, packaging and reputation can affect what people expect and how they judge wine. Research involving Australian wines has found that information can influence liking, emotions and willingness to pay. Other wine-tasting research has also found that information provided before tasting can affect the subsequent experience.

That does not mean labels always mislead us. It means context is part of the tasting experience. Blind tasting lets you examine the sensory experience with fewer advance signals.

It encourages comparison

When wines are coded and served in a consistent way, it becomes easier to compare acidity, tannin, body, aroma intensity and finish without being distracted by the story around each bottle.

It builds sensory vocabulary

You can practise describing wine without needing to identify it. “Fresh, medium-bodied and high in acidity” is a useful observation even if you cannot name the grape.

It tests a hypothesis

You might wonder whether a wine is more likely to be a light-bodied red, an aromatic white or a developed style. Blind tasting lets you test that idea against the reveal—but only as a tentative hypothesis, not as a guaranteed diagnosis.

A simple beginner setup

You do not need a professional tasting room. For a small exercise:

1. Use two to four wines rather than creating an exhausting flight.
2. Pour small amounts into clean, similar glasses.
3. Cover bottles or use neutral numbers so labels, bottle shapes, closures and capsules do not give away clues.
4. Serve the wines in a consistent order. For a more controlled comparison, someone can prepare a pre-set or randomised order.
5. Keep the environment reasonably quiet and free from strong smells.
6. Serve the wines at appropriate, reasonably consistent temperatures.
7. Take notes before discussing likely grapes, regions, prices or producers.

Avoid changing the handling between samples. If one wine is decanted and another is not, you are comparing both the wines and the treatment they received. Decanting is not automatically an improvement for blind tasting.

The full logistics of hosting a tasting at home and building a wine-tasting flight will be covered in future guides.

A practical tasting sequence

You can use the broader method in how to taste wine as your foundation, then add the blind-tasting discipline of delaying the guess.

1. Appearance

Note colour, depth, clarity and brightness. Colour can provide a clue, but it is not proof of grape, age or origin. It can also influence what you expect to smell and taste.

2. Aroma

Smell the wine before deciding what it is. Note intensity and broad families such as fruit, floral, herbal, spice, oak, earthy or savoury aromas. If you are unsure, that is useful information too. For more help, see what is wine aroma?.

3. Palate

Taste for sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol impression, body, flavour intensity, texture and finish. Wine body, acidity and tannins are clues, not unique fingerprints.

4. Structure and balance

Ask how the elements work together. Is the wine fresh, firm, broad, light or concentrated? Does the acidity support the fruit? Does the tannin feel integrated? Wine structure and balance can help you think about the whole wine rather than one striking feature.

5. Form a cautious hypothesis

Move from evidence to possibility. For example: “This could be a medium-bodied, high-acid white with citrus and floral notes.” Only then might you consider whether Riesling or another variety is plausible.

Australian learners may encounter familiar examples such as Shiraz, Chardonnay, Riesling and Australian sparkling wine. None can be identified reliably every time from a blind sample, and no Australian region has a guaranteed sensory signature.

6. Record confidence

Use language such as “possible”, “more likely” or “uncertain”. Confidence is not the same as accuracy.

Reveal and review

Reveal the identities after everyone has finished their initial notes. Then compare the notes with the wines.

Look for observations that were useful, observations that were ambiguous and guesses that arrived too early. Ask whether you noticed a real structural clue or simply interpreted everything to support your first idea.

A wrong guess is not wasted effort. It shows that the available evidence could support more than one explanation. A correct guess is a successful hypothesis on that occasion; it is not proof of expertise, wine quality or a reliable identification method.

Common mistakes and limitations

• Guessing too early: an early grape or region guess can make later observations fit the first idea.
• Relying on colour: colour is one clue among many, not a stand-alone identification key.
• Confusing fruitiness with sweetness: fruit aroma does not prove that a wine contains residual sugar. See fruitiness versus sweetness.
• Allowing service clues: bottle shape, pouring sounds, glass differences and comments can reveal more than intended.
• Tasting too many wines: fatigue and palate carry-over can reduce concentration.
• Ignoring sample condition: cork taint, oxidation, reduction, temperature and storage can obscure the wine’s intended character.
• Treating the reveal as a verdict: the goal is better observation and reasoning, not a ranking of tasters.

Blind tasting tells you about the particular sample and conditions presented. It cannot guarantee the grape, region, vintage, price or quality of a wine.

Tasting responsibly in Australia

Blind tasting does not require large serves. Use small pours, provide water and let people decline or stop at any time. Spitting is an accepted practice in formal and educational tastings, although it is not a guarantee that no alcohol is consumed.

Australian Government guidance defines a standard drink as containing 10 grams of pure alcohol. General guidance for healthy adults who choose to drink is no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four on any one day. State and territory rules differ, so this is general safety information rather than legal advice.

Most importantly, do not drive after drinking. Arrange a safe way home, and consider taking part through observation, note-taking or non-alcoholic alternatives if you do not drink.

FAQs

Does blind tasting prove who is a wine expert?

No. It tests observations and hypotheses under particular conditions. A correct guess can be luck or a good inference, while a wrong guess can still involve excellent sensory description.

Can blind tasting identify a grape or region?

It may help you form a reasonable possibility, but it cannot reliably establish a grape, region, vintage or price from sensory clues alone.

Is double-blind tasting better?

It can provide stronger control when both the taster and administrator are unaware of the identities, but the term is used inconsistently. Describe the actual process rather than relying on the label.

Do I need special glasses?

No. Clean, similar glasses are a sensible way to reduce avoidable differences. Specialist glassware is not required for a beginner’s exercise.

Is spitting cheating?

No. Spitting is normal in many educational and professional tastings. It is a responsible way to limit consumption, but safe transport and sensible drinking still matter.