Friday, 28 December 2012

Wine Circle: What's in the Sock?

Twenty questions is a brilliant game for 'guess the wine'.  It is fun for all involved - from the omniscient Master of Wine to those who simply enjoy a casual glass from time to time.

It doesn't matter how much you know but how much you're up for getting involved and you'd be surprised how easy it is for the expert to be caught out and for the novice to get the taste of the wine spot on!

The rules:

- Everyone brings a bottle in a sock and takes it in turn to be the one questioned about their 'socked' wine.

- Try to go in order of wine style, from lighter to fuller bodied whites, then lighter to fuller bodied reds.  It will probably not end up going in the perfect order as no one knows what each other has but if you think it's the moment for your wine let the group know and off you go!  The first person to play would probably be concealing a light white such as a Pinot Blanc from Alsace.


- The wine is passed around at the start of each round and everyone tastes the wine before and whilst the questions are asked.

- The blind tasting is then played just as the usual version of Twenty Questions, where the group asks the individual twenty 'yes and no questions' about the wine being tasted.

- If nobody guesses the wine once the twenty questions are over, then you can extend the round with more questions or just reveal the wine.


Taster's Tip: Decant the bottle several hours beforehand (pour it into a decanter / jug etc) and then pour it back into the bottle before you put it in the sock.  Be careful not to spill the wine!

The first time I played the game was at a Nottingham Wine Circle, whilst I was studying for the WSET Advanced.  Most of the group had been members of the Wine Circle for 20+ years and worked in the wine industry.  I was by far the least experienced and had never worked with wine but it was so much fun!



This was my Sock of Wine:


Grape: Cabernet Franc
Region: Bourgeuil, Loire Valley, France
Tasting notes: minerality, cassis and truffles.
It has similarities also in style, colour and body with Pinot Noir.
I chose Peu Muleau from the Caslot family's Domaine de la Chevalerie as the Loire Valley is known best for its white wines; its reds aren't always given the credit they deserve but can be fantastic!  Here are some of the questions asked by the group:

- Is it from Chile?  No.
- Is it Italian?  No.
- Is it from Burgundy?  No.
- But it is Pinot Noir?  No.
- Is it Vin de Pays?  No.

And so on until...

- It's not from the Loire Valley, is it?  Yes it is.
- But it isn't 100% Cabernet Franc.  Yes it is.

NB: One of the tell tale signs for Cabernet Franc - Pencil Shavings on the nose!

Here are some other bottles from the Sock of Wine Tasting:

Grape: Nebbiolo
Region: alba, Italy
Tasting notes: Strawberries and rose water
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Blend
Region: Southern Rhône, France
Tasting notes: Leather, earthy, black fruit
Vintage: 1994
Grape: Merlot
Region: Maipo Valley, Chile
Tasting: Plum and black pepper
Vintage: 2002
Grape: Syrah
Region: Northern Rhône, France
Tasting notes: Mulberry, blackcurrant and a hint of liquorice
Grape: Syrah
Region: Côte-Rôtie, Northern Rhône, France
Tasting notes: Red fruit, liquorice and chocolate
Vintage: 1994
Grape: 50% Mourvèdre, 50% Syrah
Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa
Tasting notes: Intense, plum and leather
Vintage: 2009
Hope the unsocked wines above help you choose a wine you'd sock for Twenty Questions.  Enjoy!


1 comment:

  1. Hi Emma, what a lovely blog. Please could you include a wine recommendation every month? Xx

    ReplyDelete