2022 World Blind Wine Tasting Championships results are out

Monday, 10 October, 2022

Jean-Vincent Ridon

Africa was represented by three teams at the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships 2022 in France this Saturday.

Team South Africa, Team Kenya, and Team Zimbabwe competed at the 10th edition of the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships, hosted by French wine magazine La Revue du Vin de France, at Champagne Ayala in Aÿ, France.

Under the leadership of Heidi Kritzinger, Team South Africa 2022 was comprised of Danielle le Roux and Welma Smith, with Jean-Vincent Ridon as their coach. Keegan Terry, a winner of Best Wine Steward at the Distell Inter-Hotel Challenge, was the team's substitute.

In the week leading up to the competition, Jean-Vincent took the team on a special wine tour through Burgundy, Jura, Alsace, and Mosel. Thereafter, Team SA 2022 arrived at Ayala Champagne to face the 34 countries that were set to compete in the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships.

TeamSA 2022: Jean Vincent Ridon (Coach), Welma Smith, Danielle le Roux, Heidi Kritzinger (Coach), and substitute Keegan Terry.

The wines at the competition were very difficult to identity, with points being gained by identifying the main grape variety, the country, the appellation, the producer, and the vintage of each wine.

Twelve wines later, Team SA ranked 21st with 77 points. It may be a disappointment since South Africa was leading the competition after 2 wines, but this is the excitement of this competition; one bad choice, one producer incorrect, and the ranking can be challenged. Before tasting the last wine, South Africa was ranking 12th. The Chateau de Fargues 2002, à Sauterne wine, called the end of SA dreams to stay among the top 10.

All in all, the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships was a great adventure for these talented tasters who were selected by the South African Wine Tasting Championships (SAWTC).

Congratulations also to Team Zimbabwe, that received all the media attention after the release of the inspiring documentary film Blind Ambition. This inspiring film tells the story of four Zimbabwean sommeliers, Joseph Dhafana Tongai (Captain), Tinashe Nyamudoka, Marlvin Gwese and Pardon Taguzu, arriving in South Africa knowing nothing about wine and advancing to having the opportunity of representing their country at the World Blind Wine tasting Champions in 2017 as the first Zimbabwean team to participate in this prestigious wine tasting competition.

Team Zimbabwe finished 20th this year, one place ahead of Team South Africa with 79 points, and both SA and Zimbabwe were ahead of the USA and Quebec!

Team Kenya achieved 63 points Participating for the first time, the team showed that Africa is truly part of the global wine culture. Well done to Beverly Mbaikan Ndunge, Mélissa Mwende Mainye, Jenipher Adero Achola, Soraiya Ladak, and Victoria Mulu-Munywoki.

Results of the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships

Hats off to the top 3 countries:

Luxembourg - 139 points (Winner)
Portugal -123 points
Spain - 122 points

Wines tasted at the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships

These were the wines tasted at the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships. (If you think you could identify these in a blind wine tasting, please enter next year!)

Wine 1: