Varsity blind wine tasting match
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The Varsity Blind Wine Tasting Match is a series of annual competitions in blind wine tasting between the Oxford University Blind Wine Tasting Society and the Cambridge University Blind Wine Tasting Society; the blind wine tasting teams of the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews;[1] and the blind wine tasting teams of the University of Bath and Bristol University. It is sponsored by champagne house Pol Roger.[2] The Oxford/Cambridge competition has run since 1953. The current Oxford/Cambridge convenor is James Simpson, Master of Wine (MW). Will Lyons is a judge for the Edinburgh/St Andrews competition[3]
The winning teams are invited to Épernay, France to visit the vineyards of Pol Roger and compete in an international tasting match against a French university. 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[edit]
For the Oxford v Cambridge competition 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[edit]
Team Overall Competition Oxford v Cambridge
Cambridge (26 victories in total) including: 1994, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022
Oxford (42 victories in total) including: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023
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
2017: Jit Hang (Jackie) Ang (Ox), 143 points
2018: Neil Alacha (Ox), 160 points
2019: Emelyn Rude (Cam)
2020: Gianmarco Luppi (Ox)
2021: Yee Kwan Law (Ox)
2022: Emer Jones (Cam)
2023: Ian Cheung (Oxford)
| Year | Winning Team | Top Individual Taster |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Edinburgh | |
| 2014 | Edinburgh | |
| 2015 | Edinburgh | Maciej Pajak |
| 2016 | Edinburgh | |
| 2017 | Edinburgh | |
| 2018 | Edinburgh | Megan Haines |
| 2019 | Edinburgh | Yu Jin Ooi |
| 2020 | Edinburgh | Arthur Ng |
| 2021 | St Andrews | Arthur Ng |
| 2022 | Edinburgh | Arthur Ng |
| 2023 | Edinburgh | Jamie H.M. Stuart-Smith |
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- 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[dead link]
- 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