'I tried Lidl's Vino Sensoria experience where I tasted wine in the dark - here's how it went'
The Lidl Vino Sensoria experience is located at a pop-up on Grafton Street next weekend, November 15-16.
A woman wearing night vision goggles asks me to place my hand on her shoulder as she leads me into a pitch-black room.
I’m confused and scared, but this isn’t some sort of post-Halloween horror maze. It’s Lidl’s Vino Sensoria experience where the “myths of wine are dispelled” by tasting the alcohol in complete darkness.
Once we are in the room and settled I’m feeling more at ease. But, it is a strange feeling, and the first time I think I have ever been in complete darkness.
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Sommelier Richard Bampfield welcomes us and asks us to empty our brains of anything we’ve been told about wine before. The experience is about understanding what flavours we like, without even being able to see the colour of the wine.
Two glasses are placed in front of us, and we gently feel around the table to pick them up. Surprisingly, I didn’t spill any on me all night- something I had anticipated.
I taste the first wine and I’m so confused. It's incredible how taking away the sense of sight changes my perception of what I am drinking. At first, I think one of the glasses is red- but then I taste the bubbles.
Could it be a sparkling red? I then try the other glass, and I’m certain it’s a champagne or prosecco. After going back and forth between the two glasses, I can’t believe I thought the first was red.
They both start to taste the same and when Richard asks us which is our favourite, I think we are being tricked and they are identical. I pick the left as my favourite and discover it's Lidl’s Henry Dubois Champagne Bruit.
For €24.99 it’s significantly cheaper than the €60 champagne in my other glass, and they taste extremely similar. We are given our next pairing of glasses and I’m certain it’s white wine.
Both taste slightly dry but smooth, and I conclude that they are both Pinot Grigio. But I couldn’t be more wrong. I don't even get the colour right, they are both rosés.
My favourite is again Lidl's picking, which is its Premium Rosé. I am then shocked to discover that the expensive rosé is Whispering Angel.
This smooth rosé can be up to €60 in a restaurant, and I have often treated myself to the costly wine. There’s no doubt I let the fancy bottle and brand name sway my wine opinions in the past.
When drinking rosé, Richard suggests popping in a frozen strawberry. He says it adds to the fruity flavour and chills it, without watering it down with an ice cube.
The wine expert sways us from trying a current TikTok trend of plopping a chili or jalapeno in a glass of rosé. He says it's disgusting, and spicy fruits are best kept for a margarita.
The final tasting is a guessing game of which glass is red, rosé and white. I immediately know which is red, and ponder over the other two.
After discovering that I got them all right, my mission is complete- I am now a wine connoisseur. I have been wine-tasting before, but doing it in the dark is both a fun experience and eye-opening.
There’s no doubt that we have preconceived ideas about wine, and taking away the sense of sight helped me to decipher what I enjoy. I didn't think I was a fan of red wine, but when I didn't know that's what I was drinking, I enjoyed it.
The Lidl Vino Sensoria experience is located at a pop-up on Grafton Street next weekend, November 15-16. Tickets can be bought on Lidl’s website for €15, with 100% of ticket sales being donated to Lidl Ireland’s charity partner.
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