Shiraz & Rhone Blind Tasting

Our Sense of Taste managers are thrilled to be back for another year of wine tastings, but this year we're shaking things up (for the better) and introducing a new tasting format to provide you with the best recommendations!

To kick off our first tasting of the year, we hosted a Shiraz & Rhone tasting. There were eight flights, each containing six wines. The significant change this year is that our managers tasted these wines blind. Wine Expert Tyson Stelzer guided our managers through the tasting and led discussions about each wine. After a group discussion, the price and name of the wines were revealed. The average score was calculated, determining our top wines of the tasting.

So, what were the results? Of the 60 wines tasted on the day our Tasting Panel discuss possible specials and/or bundles these wines can be featured in. After all, the point of this tasting is for our team to expand their knowledge so they can recommend the perfect wines for you.



How do the Tasting Panel rate the wines?
How do the Tasting Panel rate the wines? Our Tasting Panel refers to a WSET Rating System where each wine is assessed against specific criteria. When determining a score, the team must consider these criteria and reach a logical decision. All wines can score up to 100 points. Here's a breakdown of what each score means when our managers rate their wines:

98-100 Points: Extraordinary, meeting all criteria
95-97 Points: Outstanding, meeting almost all of the criteria
92-93 Points: Very good, meeting over half of the criteria
89-91 Points: Good
85-88 Points: Acceptable

In order for a wine to achieve higher than a score of 97, the wine must be deemed to be of exceptional and rare quality.

Tasting Panel 6
These wines were six standouts of the day, so much so that our managers wanted to put them in a super sharp bundle. Here's what's featured and what each wine was scored.

Turkey Flat Shiraz - Scored 92 Points.
Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz - Scored 92 Points.
Tar & Roses Shiraz - Scored 92 Points.
Geoff Merrill Jacko's Shiraz - Scored 93 Points.
Wynn's Black Label Shiraz - Scored 92 Points.
Grant Burge Miamba Shiraz - Scored 92 Points.

You can get your hands on this hand picked bundle for just $150! And, you'll save over $70 (yes it's that good)! Shop now!

Mystery Wines
You can expect Mystery Wines to soon grace our website. Chosen by our managers again, we'll be putting one mystery wine live per month at a price that's so crazy we need to keep the product a secret. 

Shop our first Mystery Wine here!

Weekly Specials
Expect these highly-rated wines to be featured online and in-store, whether as a Dozen Deal or Wine Tuesday Offer. If you're shopping in-store, our team has provided Tasting Panel rating cards on the wines. Check out an example below!



You can expect these types of specials and more after every tasting we host. Our team is incredibly excited to work together to bring you the best deals and give you the chance to try some high-quality wines you may never have considered before.

What do you think our next tasting will be? Here's a hint: it's another red varietal.