The Varsity Blind Wine Tasting Match is a series of annual competitions in
blind wine tasting between the
Oxford University Blind Wine Tasting Society and the
Cambridge University Blind Wine Tasting Society; the blind wine tasting teams of
Edinburgh University and
St Andrews University; and the blind wine tasting teams of the
University of Bath and
Bristol University
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
. It is sponsored by
Champagne house
The listing below comprises some of the more prominent houses of Champagne. Most of the major houses are members of the organisation ''Union de Maisons de Champagne'' (UMC),Pol Roger
Pol Roger is a producer of champagne. The brand is still owned and run by the descendants of Pol Roger. Located in the town of Épernay in the Champagne region, the house annually produces around 110,000 cases of Champagne.K. Gargett, P. Forre ...
. The Oxford/Cambridge competition has run since 1953. The current Oxford/Cambridge convenor is
James Simpson,
Master of Wine (MW).
Will Lyons
Will Lyons is a journalist, newspaper columnist, award-winning wine writer and Television presenter, broadcaster. He is most widely known for his writing in ''The Wall Street Journal'' and ''The Sunday Times''.
Education
Lyons was educated at ...
is a judge for the Edinburgh/St Andrews competition
The winning teams are invited to
Épernay
Épernay () is a commune in the Marne department of northern France, 130 km north-east of Paris on the mainline railway to Strasbourg. The town sits on the left bank of the Marne at the extremity of the Cubry valley which crosses it.
Éperna ...
,
France to visit the vineyards of Pol Roger and compete in an international tasting match against a French university. The taster with the highest individual score wins a bottle of Pol Roger's top
cuvee, Sir Winston Churchill. The reserve taster with the higher score wins a subscription to
Decanter Magazine
''Decanter'' is a wine and wine-lifestyle media brand. It includes a print and digital magazine, fine wine tasting events, a news website, a subscription website - ''Decanter Premium'', and the ''Decanter World Wine Awards''. The magazine, publish ...
. The losing team each wins a bottle of Non Vintage Pol Roger.
Judges
For the Oxford v Cambridge competition there are two judges, one nominated by each team. In 2008 and 2009, the Oxford judge was
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...
MW, and the Cambridge judge was
Hugh Johnson. Past judges have included
Jasper Morris
Jasper Morris (born 27 December 1957) is a British Master of Wine since 1985. An expert on the wine of Burgundy, with a strong interest in other pinot-producing countries such as New Zealand, he has taken a strong interest in the nascent wine ...
MW (who also judged in 2014). The papers are marked anonymously and cross-checked by both judges in order to ensure impartiality.
Winners
Team Overall Competition Oxford v Cambridge
Cambridge (26 victories in total) including: 1994, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022
Oxford (42 victories in total) including: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023
Top Individual Tasters
2009: Caroline Conner (Ox)
2010: James Flewellen (Ox)
2011: James Flewellen (Ox), 152 points
2012: Ren Lim (Ox)
2013: Tom Arnold (Ox) and Stefan Kuppen (Cam), 140 points
oint
2014: Vaiva Imbrasaite (Cam), 195 points
2015: Swii Yii Lim and Yee Chuin Lim (both Ox)
oint
2016: Qian (Janice) Wang (Ox), 173 points
2017: Jit Hang (Jackie) Ang (Ox), 143 points
2018: Neil Alacha (Ox), 160 points
2019: Emelyn Rude (Cam)
2020: Gianmarco Luppi (Ox)
2021: Yee Kwan Law (Ox)
2022: Emer Jones (Cam)
2023: Ian Cheung (Oxford)
References
External links
Reds, Whites and Varsity Blues, 60 Years of the Oxford & Cambridge Blind Wine-Tasting Competition
* ttp://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201103083.html Report on the 58th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2011br>Report on the 59th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2012
* ttp://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2013/02/blind-tasting-rivalry-celebrates-milestone-in-style/ The Drinks Business article on the match, 2013br>The Drinks Business article on the match, 2014
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