Official Press Release of New Video Series – So, You Think You Know Wine?
WineAlign Premieres “So, You Think You Know Wine?” Video Series
Canada’s top wine experts challenged to prove their stuff in blind taste challenge
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – June 20, 2011) –WineAlign has launched the wine industry’s first blind taste test video series – So, You Think You Know Wine? The pilot series, which can be found at www.WineAlign.com/Videos, features some of Canada’s most widely recognized, award-winning sommeliers and wine critics, including David Lawrason (Toronto Life), Master Sommelier John Szabo, Steve Thurlow, Sara d’Amato and others. Without any clues beyond tasting the wine, critics must correctly identify the grape, country, region, year and price of the wine.
“For a wine critic, a blind taste test is the ultimate challenge,” explains Bryan McCaw, the Toronto-based entrepreneur behind WineAlign. “This is the first time it is being captured in a video series where the viewer will know more about the wine than the critic and can marvel in the critic’s incredible skill and talent as they use their nose, eyes and palate to identify the flavours, aromas and general characteristics of a wine to correctly determine five elements about the wine.”
Initial feedback on the video series is overwhelmingly positive, and includes comments such as:
- “I love the new video – it’s such a fun approach to learning about wine by hearing all of you discuss it together.”
- “By just listening to the patter between the three experts as they bring their knowledge and experience to bear on the question – what’s in the glass? – they provide insights and a little humour for the viewer.”
- “Nicely done – right length and good job by the facilitator.”
- “Great concept! I love it. It’s always interesting to see how the ‘pros’ measure up when blind tasting. Keep the videos coming!”
WineAlign is a free community-based service for reviewing, sharing and discovering wine. It was launched in December 2008 in collaboration with several top wine critics to create a resource for consumers to find the best wines at the LCBO. WineAlign, which is growing rapidly and now has more than 20,000 registered users, answers the question: What wine do I buy? It combines reviews from multiple top-critics and community members to create an objective resource to help users find great wine. For wine lovers outside of Ontario, Canada, WineAlign provides the most comprehensive wine resource, including reviews of the latest wines and vintages from some of the country’s top sommeliers and wine critics.
About WineAlign
WineAlign is the ultimate service for making informed buying decisions at the LCBO. Use it before you shop from your home or office computer, or standing right in the store aisle with your mobile device. It aligns current store inventory, professional critical ratings and reviews, your budget, your food choices, your taste preferences and those of your friends. It is also a practical site, providing valuable tools to manage your own cellar and inventory and build your own personal rating system. And it is a social site allowing you to share information and discuss wine recommendations with friends and associates. For more information, visit www.winealign.com or @WineAlign on Twitter.