This week we had a very special training session, organized by Pepe Ribes at the Rimontgó headquarters in Valencia. Three members of Terroir a Ciegas were there to participate in a blind tasting that was not at all easy and took us on a journey through much of Uruguay and Argentina. We were joined by some distinguished Valencian personalities, who not only enjoyed themselves but also demonstrated their tasting skills. The wines chosen by Pepe were as follows:
1.- Albariño 2024. Uruguay
2.- Pinot Noir 2023. Uruguay
3.- Casa de Uco. Salvaje. Valle de Uco, Mendoza. Argentina
4.- Mariflor 2021. Cabernet Franc. Michel Rolland. Argentina
5.- Marqués de Riscal 2021. Tempranillo. Spain
6.- Mariflor 2022. Merlot. Michel Rolland. Argentina.
7.- Mariflor 2021. Cabernet Sauvignon. Michel Rolland. Argentina.
8.- Val de Flores 2020. Malbec. Michel Rolland. Uco Valley, Mendoza. Argentina.
The tasting was complicated, especially with the intermediate wines. With the only white wine, the Albariño, we guessed the variety and vintage correctly, but not the country. The same thing happened with the Pinot Noir. From there on, things got complicated. Very similar red wines caused us a lot of problems. With the Salvaje, we hesitated between a Grenache, Syrah, and Monastrell wine or a Malbec. The Cabernets, both Franc and Sauvignon, confused us quite a bit, especially when there was a Rioja and a Merlot in between. The wine we liked best was Michel Roland’s Val de Flores, a Malbec that expressed itself more clearly than the rest.
All the guests participated by giving their opinions and asking questions about how we approached the wines, their nuances, and characteristics in order to decipher the blind bottles. We explained how we worked with each wine; we talked about the layers of the wines; we also discussed the structure of the whites and reds; the characteristic notes of each of the varieties and, of course, the confidence that comes with blind tasting as a team.
For us, it was a great training session on New World wines. For the guests, it was an experience in which they could see the infinite connections involved in blind tasting. The event was very rewarding for everyone, so let’s hope that Pepe Ribes continues to organize these events that make us all happy.