Round 6.10 – Semi-Final #1 of So You Think You Know Wine

Now we’re down to the brass tacks.

We’ve got two high-pressure semi-finals lined up to determine who goes on to the finals. Last time on SYTYKW, John Szabo MS and Toni Weber went head to head in a sudden death tie-breaker to determine who would be the sixth and final person to advance to the semi-finals. In the end, John nailed the Sonoma pinot noir, beating out Toni, who graciously proclaimed, “It’s an honour to lose to the great John Szabo.”

John now joins Bruce, Will, David, Sara, and Michael in the battle for the championship. Pour yourself a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy Round 6.10, the first semi-final, as David, Bruce, and John  attempt to identify a tricky South African Chenin Blanc.

Click the image above or here to watch Round 10.

The Scoring

The scoring on each wine remains similar to past seasons with 10 points total for Variety, Country, Region, Appellation, Vintage, and Price.

Variety up to 3 points
Country, Region, Appellation up to 4 points
Vintage up to 2 points
Price (within 10% on either side), 1 point

James Chatto

James Chatto has written about food, wine and spirits for 30 years. The author of seven books, he is wine columnist and Senior Editor of the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine.

james-chatto

David Lawrason

David is a principal critic and VP of Wine for WineAlign. He is also co-head judge for the National Wine Awards of Canada and the World Wine Awards of Canada. He is wine columnist for Toronto Life and Ottawa magazine, a WSET instructor with Fine Vintage Ltd, and National Wine Advisor to Gold Medal Plates, a chef competition held in ten cities that raises funds for Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

David Lawrason

Bruce Wallner, MS

Bruce Wallner was certified as Master Sommelier in London in November 2009. He has served as Chef Sommelier at luxury properties around the world and as the official Sommelier trainer for Team Canada. Bruce’s time is now carefully shared between his young family and The SOMMELIER FACTORY, where keen Sommeliers and curious wine drinkers meet to learn and taste.

Bruce Wallner

John Szabo, MS

John is Canada’s first Master Sommelier. He’s a partner and principal critic for WineAlign and authors the bi-monthly Vintages Preview. John is wine editor for Toronto’s CityBites Magazine and is the author of Pairing Food and Wine For Dummies and the newly published Volcanic Wines: Salt, Grit and Power. John also designs wine programs, teaches, speaks, judges and travels around the world, and to round out his experience and get closer to the land, he also owns a small vineyard in Eger, Hungary, the J&J Eger Wine Co.

John Szabo MS

We hope that you enjoy Round 10. As usual, please send your comments to [email protected] and feel free to share this video with your friends and family.

Previously on Season 6 of “So, You Think You Know Wine?”:

Round 1: Concha Y Toro Terrunyo Lot No. 1 Carmenère 2013
Round 2: Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Blanc De Blanc 2011
Round 3: Montalto Pinot Grigio 2015
Round 4: Sterling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Round 5: Chateau Tour Carmail 2011
Round 6: Ogier Héritages Côtes Du Rhône 2014
Round 7: Matua Pinot Gris 2015
Round 8: Matua Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015
Round 9: Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro 2014
Round 9(B): La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2014

Special thanks to our sponsors Balderson CheeseZalto glassware and the Wine Academy.


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