A few years ago a wine colleague posted about a multi sensory blind tasting she attended in Italy that was led by a blind chemist, Dr. Hoby Wedler. She said it was one of the most fascinating tastings she’s ever attended and I instantly wanted to experience something like that too. I put it out there in the universe and last year the universe answered! I was already planning on attending the second annual Vinitaly USA in Chicago, and last year was the first year they decided to bring their Wine2Wine business forum that until then, has taken place in Verona.
They announced that Dr. Hoby was going to be leading a tasting in the dark session and I was like a kid on Christmas morning! I was so excited, if I could reserve a seat quick enough, to be able to have this experience. I told Jason, my husband, that this was the one thing I was determined to attend. There are so many masterclasses and lectures going on, and some overlap or are at the same times, so I was on a mission to attend this tasting.Once they announce that it’s open, you have to register for the classes, so I was checking my emails every morning as soon as I woke up, so I wouldn’t miss it. I did register as soon they announced it and got a seat for Jason and myself and I was ecstatic!
When it was time for the tasting, we walked into the large dark room, the overhead lights were off. There were round tables spread out around the room. We chose a seat and on the table was a tasting sheet and eight glasses of wine and three small plastic containers and a black eye mask.
Dr. Wedler came in, started talking, and asked us to go ahead and put the blindfold on while he talked. I put it on and instantly felt on high alert. I sat up straight in my seat and put both feet on the floor in front of me and my hands on the table. As soon as I did that, he said in a soft calming voice to sit back in your seat and relax. I had to laugh, because my mind went in the opposite direction. I did sit back gently and felt my body relax as I listened to him talk. He asked us what heard and what we smelled in the room and then he shared the sounds he could hear and the aromas in the room. He told us about himself and after he had calmed us down, or me anyway, he then asked us to feel the table in front of us with our hands. He painted a lovely image if his experience flying to Sardegna and getting off the plane and the aromas and sounds that greeted him. He then went on to guide us through the tasting of the following eight wines; Atlantis Vernot Brut, Tenute Gregu Rias Vermentino di Gallura DOCG, Cantina Delle vigne di Piero Mancini Cucaione Vermentino di Gallura DOCG Superiore, F.lli Rau di Rau Giovanni Mario Galatea Vermentino di Sardegna DOC, Santadi Villa Solais Vermentino di Sardegna DOC, Cantina Locci Zuddas Mesudie Nuragus di Cagliari, Cantina Lilliu Medulla Malvasia di Cagliari, & Ferruccio Deiana Oirad Passito Isola dei Nuraghi IGT. He had us smell a wine and then pick up a container, shake it, & then open it up and smell it. We could go back at any point and shake and smell the items in the container and then smell the wines. In one container was a pineapple chunk, the second was a lemon peel, the third was a black rock from Lake Michigan. He had chosen each of these things because they were all things that you could smell and or taste in the Vermentino wines. By the end, I had forgotten I was wearing a blindfold and I definitely didn’t want the experience to be over. Jason, said that it was amazing and he had no idea that it would be that it was going to be that cool.
He is not just brilliant, but such a remarkable person with an amazing outlook on life. I would highly recommend following him on Instagram and check out his website and if you ever find yourself with an opportunity to meet him or attend one of his tastings, do not hesitate and Vinitaly USA will be in New York this year in October.
Rebecca Severs
