Wine options games can be fun for all. Freerange Stock
The wine options game is generally credited to the late Len Evans. It is a guessing game which encourages participants to focus on the characteristics of a wine served ‘blind’. Putting on my wine educator’s hat, that’s a good thing—although in my experience the wine options game is more social than serious.
At a recent gathering of a dozen or so wine enthusiast friends I poured everyone a small glass of wine and asked:
In my experience the wine options game is more social than serious.
“Were the grapes that made this wine grown in France, Australia or New Zealand?”
“Raise your hand if you chose France. It is not France – you have been eliminated. Raise your hand if you chose New Zealand. Congratulations, you are correct.”
Six people were still in the game.
“Were the grapes grown in Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough or Central Otago?”
That seems like an easy set of options but it managed to eliminate another two players, leaving four survivors. I like to choose relatively easy questions, particularly at the beginning.
Grape variety next.
“Is the wine made predominantly from cabernet sauvignon, syrah or merlot?”
The wine was Trinity Hill Homage Syrah 2021. I was fairly sure that it contained a small amount of viognier, hence the ‘predominantly’. One more taster bit the dust while another three looked rather pleased with themselves.
“Were the grapes harvested in 2001, 2000 or 1999?”
That’s a reasonably tricky
This Article was originally published on The Real Review
