Today I went to a wine tasting with six female colleagues who work in the wine business. We met early, at 11 and spent the next three hours tasting wines blind and discussing our reasoning for stating that a wine came from one place or another. I found this exercise incredibly useful and look forward to our next meeting in two weeks. When I taste alone, I tend to get a bit sloppier than when I am tasting with other people. I am endlessly fascinated by different methods of arriving at a conclusion, varied perceptions of a wine and the breadth of interest and knowledge that each person brings to the wine world. Perhaps what I appreciate most is the intense interest and curiosity that each person at the tasting displayed. I have decided to interview each of these women separately and share some of their wealth of knowledge with those who read this blog. Tasting in a group helped me pass my Diploma of Wines & Spirits at the WSET. Hopefully someday it will help me get through the next level as well. Check out Imbibe New York for a great description of the WSET and a truly useful list of NYC’s stores and wine bars. I highly recommend tasting in a group for all those who are studying or merely for pleasure.
avvinare.com 
Hi Susannah,
Thanks for the shout out!
And yes!
I agree.
Tasting with others really helps
hone one’s palate and tasting vocabulary.
What tasting event did you attend?
Again, congrats on completing the Diploma program
at WSET.
Cheers!
Karen
Susannah, your comment about getting a bit sloppy when tasting on your own is unfortunately true for me too. It always helps to taste with others, and in part because wine is such a communal product.
One of the things that strikes me about current Italian wine is that there are so many young, very talented women winemakers. I believe part of it is because the birthrate is so low that a lot of farming families no longer have a bunch of sons to pass the land to. And of course there are those (many) cases where the daughter has all the talent and drive. Whatever the reasons, it’s another reason I find Italian wine today so fascinating.
This would be a cool theme for one of your group’s bi-weekly tastings…
Cheers! Talk to you soon.
Thanks Sistah K and Strappo for comments đŸ™‚
SK – tasting with a group from WSET classes. A few are already in the early stages of MW and others, like me, are just fresh from Diploma and haven’t made the leap (yet?)..
Strappo – Nice thought. As you know, Italian female wine makers is my big thing so I may just organize that. Tasting in a group does truly help focus one’s thoughts. See you presto, sg