“So, You Think You Know Wine?” Episode 3.6

WineAlign is pleased to present Episode 3.6 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

Division “C”, Round 2

In this episode, Jennifer, Zoltan and David do a great job right off the nose to take this wine to California. But then it comes down to vintage and price to see who will negotiate their way to the highest score.

It’s posted and ready to go, so pour yourself a glass of wine and tune in here: Episode 3.6

Recap and Scorecard

In the last episode, Division ‘B’ contestants Bruce, Bill and Sara all zeroed in on Italy as soon as they nosed the 2007 Terre del Barolo. Both Bruce and Bill correctly identified the grape variety as Nebbiolo and the region as Piedmont, but it was Bruce who found the “soul of the wine” and scored the most points.

After five episodes, our score is as follows:

There’s more to come

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

Past Episodes are always available under Videos within the Discuss tab on the WineAlign Home page.

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Filed under: News, Video, Wine, David Lawrason, Jennifer Huether, So You Think You Know Wine, Wine Education, Wine Tasting, Zoltan Szabo

“So, You Think You Know Wine?” Episode 3.5

WineAlign is pleased to present Episode 3.5 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

Division “B”, Round 2

The new episode is posted and ready to go, so pour yourself a glass of wine and tune in here: Episode 3.5

In this episode, Division ‘B’ is back for Round 2. Bruce, Bill and Sara face-off over this time. You’ll notice that Bill is wearing his lucky Leafs hat – so he may have an unfair advantage!

Recap and Scorecard

In Episode 3.4, Division ‘A’ contestants John, Will and Steve had no problem heading straight to Australia with the 2010 Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz. However, it was John’s powers of deduction that earned him the maximum points.

Here’s how the score sits after Episode 3.4:

There’s more to come

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

Past Episodes are always available under Videos within the Discuss tab on the WineAlign Home page.

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Filed under: News, Video, Wine, So You Think You Know Wine, Video, Wine Tasting

“So, You Think You Know Wine?” Episode 3.4

WineAlign is pleased to present Episode 3.4 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

Division “A”, Round 2

The new episode is posted and ready to go, so pour yourself a glass of wine and tune in here: Episode 3.4

In this episode, Division ‘A’ is back for Round 2. John, Will and Steve have no problem heading straight to Australia with this wine. But whose nose knows for sure what it is to score the maximum points! Watch and see.

Recap and Scorecard

In Episode 3.3, Division ‘C’ contestants David, Zoltan and Jennifer were all in the same camp on grape variety with the 2011 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc. However, it was David who picked up the most points for not letting this winemaker’s style take him away from New Zealand.

Here’s how the score sits after Episode 3.3:

There’s more to come

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

Past Episodes are always available under Videos within the Discuss tab on the WineAlign Home page.

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Filed under: News, Video, So You Think You Know Wine, Wine Education, Wine Tasting

“So, You Think You Know Wine?” Episode 3.3

WineAlign is pleased to present Episode 3.3 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

Welcome Division “C”

The new episode is posted and ready to go, so pour yourself a glass of wine and tune in here: Episode 3.3

In this third episode, we welcome Division ‘C’. Familiar faces from last season, David Lawrason, Jennifer Heuther and Zoltan Szabo, return to test their skills against this favorite New Zealand variety. But will it be as obvious as you think?

Recap and Scorecard

In Episode 3.2, Division ‘B’ contestants Sara, Bruce and Bill were all in agreement with the grape variety in this 2010 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay from California. However, it was Sara who picked up the most points for recognizing this as a new world wine made in an elegant old world style.

Here’s how the score sits after Episode 3.2:

There’s more to come

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

Past Episodes are always available under Videos within the Discuss tab on the WineAlign Home page.

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Filed under: Video, Sara d'Amato, So You Think You Know Wine, Wine Education, Wine Tasting

“So, You Think You Know Wine?” Episode 3.2

WineAlign is pleased to present Episode 3.2 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

Welcome Division “B”

The new episode is posted and ready to go, so pour yourself a glass of wine and tune in here: Episode 3.2

In this second espisode, we welcome Division ‘B’. Sara d’Amato is a familiar face on WineAlign and she returns this season to face off against Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner and Montreal Gazette wine writer Bill Zacharkiw. So how will this turn out? Will it be men vs. women or Ontario vs. Quebec?

Recap and Scorecard

In Episode 3.1, Division ‘A’ contestants John, Steve and Will got off to a great start by correctly identifying grape variety, country and vintage of the 2009 Quails Gate Chardonnay. No one pegged it to be from British Columbia however, so maximum points were left on the table. In the end, the deciding factor came down to price, with Steve picking up the most points in that category.

Here’s how the score sits after Episode 3.1:

There’s more to come

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

Past Episodes are always available under Videos within the Discuss tab on the WineAlign Home page.

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Filed under: Featured Articles, Video, Wine, So You Think You Know Wine, Wine, Wine Education, Wine Tasting

“So, You Think You Know Wine?” Episode 3.1

WineAlign is pleased to present Episode 3.1 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

The feedback we received from the first two series has been fantastic, and we are thrilled to be bringing together an even larger group of Canada’s top wine palates to compete this season. (Episode 3.1)

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics. WineAlign’s own David Lawrason, Sara d’Amato, Steve Thurlow and Master Sommelier John Szabo are joined and challenged by Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

Our critics have to rely on skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine. For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge.

How the Game is Played

The competition is run in tournament style where our critics compete to correctly identify the grape, country, region, year and price of the wine. This season we’ve divided the nine critics into three divisions, the winner of each division goes onto the final and the three second place finishers play off in a wildcard round with the winner joining the first place finishers in the final round.

Division ‘A’  - William Predhomme, Steve Thurlow, John Szabo MS

Division ‘B’ – Sara d’Amato, Bruce Wallner MS, Bill Zacharkiw

Division ‘C’ – Jennifer Huether MS, David Lawrason, Zoltan Szabo

What hasn’t changed since last season is our very engaging host, Amil Niazi, and our scoring methodology.

The Scoring

There are several parameters that the critics are scored on for up to 10 points per wine :

• Varietal = up to 3 points for varietal or style

• Location = up to 3 points (2 points for Country and 1 point for Region)

• Vintage = up to 2 points (2 points for exact year, 1 point for +/- 1 year)

• Price = up to 2 points (2 points for +/- 2.5% of price, 1 point for +/- 10% of price)

Episode 3.1 is ready to go!

Pour yourself a glass of wine and pull up a chair and enjoy round one which features our critics from Division ‘A’. Our returning champion John Szabo faces off against Steve Thurlow and a newcomer to the series, Will Predhomme. Will may be new to the series, but you’ll soon see that he’s definitely not new to wine. In this episode our critics get very close. Well, within 2,000 miles anyway!

This new Episode is posted and ready to go: Episode 3.1

Additional episodes of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” will be posted on WineAlign over the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends.

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Filed under: News, Video, Wine, So You Think You Know Wine, Video, Wine Tasting

WineAlign launches Season 3 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”

Canada’s top wine experts challenged to prove their stuff in a blind taste challenge Video Series

TORONTO – February 26, 2013 – WineAlign, Canada’s largest and most popular online wine site, has launched the third season of “So, You Think You Know Wine?” – the wine industry’s first blind tasting video series. Season 3 features nine top wine critics in tournament play, where – without any clues beyond tasting the wine – critics compete to correctly identify the grape, country, region, year and price of the wine. The videos can be found at http://www.WineAlign.com/Videos.

Season 3 showcases some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics, including David Lawrason (Toronto Life), Master Sommelier John Szabo, Steve Thurlow, Sara d’Amato, Master Sommelier Jennifer Huether, Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner, Zoltan Szabo (Sommelier at Trump Tower), William Predhomme (Sommelier at Canoe) and Bill Zacharkiw (Montreal Gazette).

In addition to competing with their peers in blind tasting challenges, Season 3 also features the experts sharing tips and insights on their own techniques for identifying wines. The series also includes additional interviews, outtakes, and talkbacks.

“For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge,” explains Bryan McCaw, the Toronto-based entrepreneur behind WineAlign. “The feedback we received from the first two series has been fantastic, and we are thrilled to be bringing together an even larger group of Canada’s top wine palates to compete in Season 3. Viewers are provided information on each wine, and can marvel in the critic’s incredible skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palette to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine.”

About WineAlign

WineAlign is a free community-based service for reviewing, sharing and discovering wine. It was launched in December 2008 in collaboration with several top wine critics to create a resource for consumers to find the best wines at the LCBO. WineAlign, which is growing rapidly with close to 1M unique annual visitors, answers the question: What wine do I buy? It combines reviews from top-critics and community members to create an objective resource to help users find great wine. For wine lovers outside of Ontario, Canada, WineAlign provides the most comprehensive wine resource, including reviews of the latest wines and vintages from some of the country’s top sommeliers and wine critics. You can also follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WineAlign or on Twitter @WineAlign.

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Filed under: News, Video, Blind Tasting, So You Think You Know Wine, Wine Video

So, You Think You Know Wine? The Tournament Grand Finale!

Ep#2-10  CastelGiocondo Brunello Di Montalcino 2005

This really is the final episode of our tournament.  Due to a tie between Sara and Steve in the final we decided it was only fair to bring back our points champion John, to compete in the grand finale.  We can assure you that there is no tie in this episode and we do have a series champion emerge.  Who will become the tournament champion: Sara, Steve or John?  Click here to find out.

In the grand finale the scoring remains the same as does our lovely host Amil Niazi.
There are four parameters the critics are scored on for up to 10 points per wine :
• Varietal = up to 3 points for varietal or style
• Location = up to 3 points (2pts for Country and 1pt for Region)
• Vintage = up to 2 points (2pts for exact year, 1pt for +/- 1 year)
• Price = up to 2 points (2pts for +/- 2.5% of price, 1pt for +/- 10% of price)

To see who wins our championship click here or on the image below.

This episode features the CastelGiocondo Brunello Di Montalcino 2005 .

We hope you enjoy the videos as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends:

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Filed under: Video, Wine, John Szabo, Sara d'Amato, So You Think You Know Wine, Steve Thurlow

So, You Think You Know Wine? Final* Round – Ep#2-9 Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2008

It’s FINAL* time!  During the opening six rounds of the round-robin each critic participated in three tastings to determine their ranking.

As a result of finishing first, John went up against Jennifer and Sara in the first semi-final.   Sara bested the two Master Sommeliers and advanced to the final*. In the second semi-final Steve bested Zoltan and David (both of whom had finished well ahead of Steve in the scoring) to advance.  Who will become the champion: Sara or Steve?

* Why is there an asterisk beside the word final everywhere?  You’ll have to watch this episode to find out!

In the final* the scoring remains the same as does our lovely host Amil Niazi.

There are four parameters the critics are scored on for up to 10 points per wine :
• Varietal = up to 3 points for varietal or style
• Location = up to 3 points (2pts for Country and 1pt for Region)
• Vintage = up to 2 points (2pts for exact year, 1pt for +/- 1 year)
• Price = up to 2 points (2pts for +/- 2.5% of price, 1pt for +/- 10% of price)

To see who wins our championship click here or on the image below.

So, You Think You Know Wine - Episode #2-9

This episode features the Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay 2008 .

We hope you enjoy the videos as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends:

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Filed under: Video, Wine, Sara d'Amato, So You Think You Know Wine, Steve Thurlow, Video

So, You Think You Know Wine? Semi-Final Round ~ Ep#2-8 Cateña Malbec 2008

The round robin is over and it’s time semi-final time.   In the semi-finals two participants are eliminated and only the winner advances to the final.

During the six rounds of the round-robin each critic participated in three tastings to determine their ranking.

As a result of finishing first, John went up against Jennifer and Sara in the first semi-final.  In the first semi-final Sara bested the two masters (although one should never count John out) and has advance to the final.  The second semi-final features David, Zoltan and Steve. Zoltan and David finished well ahead of Steve in the scoring.  Who will advance to compete against Sara in the final? Click here to find out.

In the semi-finals the scoring remains the same as does our lovely host Amil Niazi.

There are four parameters the critics are scored on for up to 10 points per wine :
• Varietal = up to 3 points for varietal or style
• Location = up to 3 points (2pts for Country and 1pt for Region)
• Vintage = up to 2 points (2pts for exact year, 1pt for +/- 1 year)
• Price = up to 2 points (2pts for +/- 2.5% of price, 1pt for +/- 10% of price)

To see who survives and goes on to the final click here or on the image below.

So, You Think You Know Wine - Episode #2-8

This episode features the Cateña Malbec .

We hope you enjoy the videos as much as we did making them and encourage you to share them with your friends:

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Filed under: News, Video, Wine, David Lawrason, So You Think You Know Wine, Steve Thurlow, Zoltan Szabo