Tinhorn Creek Wine Tasting with a Social Twist
May 27, 2010 by Sheila Whittaker
Tinhorn Creek winemaker Sandra Oldfield warmly welcomed guests to the CBC Audience Lounge in Vancouver with a glass of … white wine. That was all she would tell us.
After the first drink, the DJ played the sound of a glass smashing — the cue for tasters to move to the next station. At Station 1, we were given … white wine. Winemakers will usually go on and on about each wine, how the grapes were grown, what the weather was like, the vinification process — what was going on?
The concept for the night was a staggered blind tasting. The wine bottles were 
hidden in brown paper bags. All guests were given cards to guess which was which, with a list of choices at the bottom. Of course, a few red herrings were included to throw us all off!
It was a fun concept and well-received by a great crowd; the challenge got people talking and tweeting. Participants were encouraged to take part in an online discussion during the tasting through Twitter, with the hashtag #socialtwist. A television screen in the room showed the updates live.
After hustling through nine samples, we turned in our cards and hoped for the best! Cards were quickly marked and five people in the room got all the answers correct. Fabulous prizes were given out, including a magnum of 2006 Oldfield Series Merlot (served at Station 7 during the blind tasting).
I was not among the gold star tasters of the evening, having reversed the final two wines (2006 Oldfield Series Merlot and 2006 Oldfield Series Syrah). I give partial blame to my Aussie tasting partner — I thought I could trust her to sniff out the Syrah!
In order, we tried Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Oldfield Series 2Bench White (a blend of 33% Semillon, 31% Chardonnay, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Viognier, and 3% Muscat), Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc (my favourite), Merlot, 2006 Oldfield Series Merlot and 2006 Oldfield Series Syrah.
I managed to guess the first seven wines correctly. What did that tell me? Tinhorn Creek makes varietal wines with good typicity — each one shows the signature characteristics of a wine made from that grape. (Or that I am a good guesser who’s luck ran out after seven samples of wine…)
If you were at the event, I would love to hear your comments!
Want more? There’s an interview with Sandra Oldfield in Taste and Sip and a more pictures from the event on BC Living’s website.
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