Varsity blind wine tasting match
The Varsity Blind Wine Tasting Match is an annual competition in blind wine tasting between the blind tasting teams of the Oxford University Blind Wine Tasting Society and the Cambridge University Blind Wine Tasting Society which has run since 1953. It is sponsored by Champagne house Pol Roger and the current convenor is James Simpson, Master of Wine (MW).
The winning team wins a trip to Épernay, France, to visit the vineyards of Pol Roger and compete in an international tasting match against a French university, plus a bottle of vintage Pol Roger each. The taster with the highest individual score wins a bottle of Pol Roger's top cuvee, Sir Winston Churchill. The reserve taster with the higher score wins a subscription to Decanter Magazine. The losing team each wins a bottle of Non Vintage Pol Roger.
Judges
There are two judges, one nominated by each team. In 2008 and 2009, the Oxford judge was Jancis Robinson MW, and the Cambridge judge was Hugh Johnson. Past judges have included Jasper Morris MW (who also judged in 2014). The papers are marked anonymously and cross-checked by both judges in order to ensure impartiality.
Winners
Team Overall Competition
Cambridge (24 victories in total) including: 1994, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014
Oxford (39 victories in total) including: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
Top Individual Tasters
2009: Caroline Conner (Ox)
2010: James Flewellen (Ox)
2011: James Flewellen (Ox), 152 points
2012: Ren Lim (Ox)
2013: Tom Arnold (Ox) and Stefan Kuppen (Cam), 140 points [joint]
2014: Vaiva Imbrasaite (Cam), 195 points
2015: Swii Yii Lim and Yee Chuin Lim (both Ox) [joint]
2016: Qian (Janice) Wang (Ox), 173 points
References
External links
- Reds, Whites and Varsity Blues, 60 Years of the Oxford & Cambridge Blind Wine-Tasting Competition
- Report on the 2006 match from the Daily Telegraph, 1 April 2006
- Report on the 58th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2011
- Report on the 59th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2012
- New York Times story on the 60th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2013
- The Drinks Business article on the match, 2013
- The Drinks Business article on the match, 2014
- Jancis Robinson match report and book review, 2014