Round 6.8: “So, You Think you Know Wine?”

Maybe they do know their stuff.

Welcome to Round 6.8 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” For those of you who are new to the series, this is a blind tasting competition where top wine experts face the daunting task of identifying a wine with no clues as to what is in their glass. For Season 6 we’ve made some changes that are sure to please our viewers. Our host, James Chatto, puts the spotlight back on the wines and the deductive process. You’ll find Season 6 to be not just entertaining but educational as well.

Watch as nine wine experts swirl, sniff, gurgle and spit their way to discovering the grape variety, region, vintage, and price of the wine. Points are awarded and a champion eventually emerges.

So, pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy Round 6.8 as James leads Bruce Wallner MS, Sara d’Amato and Will Predhomme in a blind tasting to identify a crisp and vibrant New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Click the image above or here to watch Round 8.

In Round 6.7 the pinot gris from Gisborne, New Zealand did not jump out of the glass and the contestants had to really work at identifying it. In the end, they all went down different paths but none of them guessed it correctly. Scores were low all around with Jules coming out as the victor with 2 points. Have a look at the score card below to see how the contestants are doing so far.

The Scoring

The scoring on each wine remains similar to past seasons with 10 points total for Variety, Country, Region, Appellation, Vintage, and Price.

Variety up to 3 points
Country, Region, Appellation up to 4 points
Vintage up to 2 points
Price (within 10% on either side), 1 point

James Chatto

James Chatto has written about food, wine and spirits for 30 years. The author of seven books, he is wine columnist and Senior Editor of the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine.

Bruce Wallner, MS

Bruce Wallner was certified as Master Sommelier in London in November 2009. He has served as Chef Sommelier at luxury properties around the world and as the official Sommelier trainer for Team Canada. Bruce’s time is now carefully shared between his young family and The SOMMELIER FACTORY, where keen Sommeliers and curious wine drinkers meet to learn and taste.

Sara d’Amato

Sara is a Toronto-based wine consultant, sommelier, wine critic and principal partner with WineAlign. She has worked in cellars both in Niagara and in France, as Sommelier at the Four Seasons Hotel and at the Platinum Club of the Air Canada Centre. She is also a contributor to Chatelaine magazine. Sara is the first and only woman to have won the Grand Award at the prestigious Wine Tasting Challenge.

Will Predhomme

Will Predhomme is a prominent Canadian Professional Sommelier, beverage business development specialist, and industry liaison. Will’s experience reflects a career based in the beverage alcohol, hospitality, education, government and private sectors. For several years, he was the Senior Sommelier at Canoe Restaurant. Now he teaches WSET courses, is co-producer of Ontario and Oregon-made wines, host of The Globe & Mail Wine Basics videos, and is Managing Director of Predhomme Market Insights. He is an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and in 2010 he won the title of Best Ontario Sommelier.

We hope that you enjoy Round 8. As usual, please send your comments to [email protected] and feel free to share this video with your friends and family.

Previously on Season 6 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”:

Round 1: Concha Y Toro Terrunyo Lot No. 1 Carmenère 2013
Round 2: Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Blanc De Blanc 2011
Round 3: Montalto Pinot Grigio 2015
Round 4: Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Round 5: Chateau Tour Carmail 2011
Round 6: Ogier Héritages Côtes Du Rhône 2014
Round 7: Matua Pinot Gris 2015

Special thanks to our sponsors Balderson Cheese, Zalto glassware and the Wine Academy.