Skip to main content

Do You Have What it Takes to Be on Team USA for Wine Tasting?

Not everyone has the chance to be an Olympian. Try as you might, you probably won’t even be asked to audition for the team, never mind standing on the podium, a tear trickling down your cheek as “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays to a raucous, sold-out crowd that is busy cheering for you. There is a sport, though, that is about to have the preliminary round to determine the 2018 Team USA and anyone can apply to try out. That sport? Wine tasting.

The World Wine Tasting Championship is being held for the sixth time this year and for the fourth time, the U.S. is going to participate. But in order to participate, the country needs a team. To find that team, a blind tasting competition is being held. Cue “Eye of the Tiger” here.

Recommended Videos

Wine Acuity will be holding the U.S. Open Blind Wine Tasting Competition on August 11, 2018, at the Marina Del Rey Hotel in Marina Del Rey, California.

Wine Acuity

Teams of two will be asked to blind taste six white and six red wines from around the world. Teams will gain points by identifying primary grape, country of origin, region of origin, vintage, and producer. This mimics the finals, but halves the number of wines.

The winners will eventually represent the red, white, and blue at The World Wine Tasting Championship, which will be held on October 12, 2018, in Chateau Saint-Pierre de Serjac, Languedoc, France.

At last year’s contest, Sweden — yes, Sweden — came in first. Britain came in second while Luxembourg took home the bronze. The home team, France, came in (wait for it) eleventh out of 24 teams and the U.S. finished in the bottom half of the rankings. (France and the U..S, at least, did better than Italy, which came in last.)

The best finish for the U.S. was in 2016 when we placed third, a significant improvement upon the dead last placement in 2015.

The placements may seem like this is a pro-only event but CEO of Wine Acuity, John Vilja (who was part of the 2016 team), stressed that the blind tasting is open to anyone and that you don’t have to be a professional to enter. In fact, only one of the four members of the 2016 US team had any formal training.

“It is about being passionate for wine and having a desire to represent the U.S. in a world event,” Vilja said.

Basically, what do you have to lose? If you love wine and think you know about it more than your friends, it can’t hurt to enter a regional competition to check your skill level. Who knows, you might surprise yourself (and your parents, when you tell them you’re going to the U.S. Open Blind Wine Tasting Competition).

You can learn more about the regional competitions here. To register directly for the finals, go here.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Chianti wine: Everything you want to know about this charming drink
There's something special about this Italian superstar
Wine, cheese and grapes spread

It doesn't get much more quintessentially Italian than Chianti. Everything about this wine - even the bottle itself - simply sings of romantic sidewalk cafes, gorgeously flowing fountains, and lush Italian countryside picnics. It's hard to even open a bottle without hearing Pavarotti singing from somewhere in the distant corners of our minds.

But what is it about this charmingly classic wine that makes it so famous? What does Chianti actually taste like? What's the difference between Chianti and Chianti Classico? And which foods are best served with this staple of Italian culture? We're here to answer all of the questions you've ever asked yourself about Chianti.
What is Chianti wine?

Read more
Do you really need varietal-specific wine glasses?
Varietal-specific glassware in wine
Two glasses of wine on picnic table

If you follow wine, you likely know that red wines and white wines are generally served in different glasses. But did you know that a lot of glassware out there is varietal specific? In other words, whether you're drinking a bright Pinot Grigio, barbecue-friendly Tempranillo, or sweet late harvest Riesling, there's a very particular glass engineered just for that pour.

Which begs the question: Is this savvy marketing or science (or both)? Having spent nearly 20 years in the wine industry, I'm aware of the many gimmicks out there. You can use a large bowl to decant wine just fine. You probably don't need a Coravin unless you're a wine collector or are sitting on some old gems. And don't get me started on longwinded tasting notes (everybody's palate is different and there's too much psychology involved).

Read more
What is Montepulciano wine? This underrated wine should be on your radar
You'd never know this exquisite wine is so affordable
A red wine glass and wine.

We've often admitted that the world of wine can be a confusing one. Especially Italian wines. And while the wine we're discussing today, Montepulciano, is one of our absolute favorites, it certainly falls under this confounding canopy. Montepulciano is an Italian grape varietal from which Montepulciano wine is made. Sounds simple enough, right? Not exactly. The problem is that there is a series of Italian wines that sound (and, in many ways, are) the same: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and, of course, Montepulciano. The differences between these wines could fill a whole separate article, so we'll save that for another time. Today, we're discussing Montepulciano, which is the most accessible, least pretentious, and our favorite of the group.
What kind of wine is Montepulciano?

Montepulciano is an Italian wine that comes from the grape of the same name. It is most often made into a fruity and acidic, perfectly balanced red, but can also be beautifully crafted into a magnificent rosé. Today, we'll be focusing on the red variety.

Read more