This was from a large group tasting of older reds, mostly Pinot Noir and Syrah, from Ojai Vineyards, I think we tasted about 30 wines that night…

“I am writing to you regarding the upcoming Wine Tasting US Open on July 14, 2019 at the historic Pierpont Inn in Ventura, CA. The Wine Tasting US Open is an annual blind wine tasting event, with teams of two each tasting 12 wines (6 white and 6 red) from around the world.”

Very interesting! The Pierpont Inn is only a block away from my house! The US Open Wine Tasting Competition is practically coming to me this Sunday July 14 from 1-4pm!

The pitch explained that for each wine each team works together to figure out in a timed contest

• varietal
• country
• region
• producer
• vintage

Each correct answer earns the team points; points aren’t taken away for incorrect answers, and points are awarded by the following criteria:

1. Identification of the predominant grape varietal will be awarded one point for each 10 percent that the main varietal comprises the wine.
   > For example, a wine that consists of seventy percent of a grape varietal will receive seven points for a correct identification.
   > No points will be awarded for identification of lesser varietals in a wine.
   > No points will be awarded if two wine varietals are provided.
2. Five points will be awarded for identification of the country of origin of the grapes.
3. Five points will be awarded for identification of the main wine region where the grapes originated.
   > For example, Bourdeaux. In the case where a team enters a specific sub-region, such as Margaux, rather than the main region, full points will be awarded if the sub-region is correct.
   > However, no points will be awarded for incorrect sub-region identification, even if the incorrect sub-region is within the correct main region.
   > It is safer to identify the main wine region rather than a sub-region.
4. Correct identification of the vintage, the year that the grapes were harvested, scores 3 points if the country of origin was also correct. Only 1 point will be awarded for a correct year but with a wrong country of origin identified.
5. Identification of the wine producer is awarded 2 points.
6. In cases where spelling is incorrect or writing is not legible, the judges have sole discretion whether to award or not award points, if the intent of the answer is not clear to them. There will be no attempt to gain clarification from the contestants once the scoring process has begun.

The two top scoring teams then represent the US at the World Wine Tasting Championships (WWTC), held in October in France. Here’s the part that really got my attention:

“Wine Acuity, the organizing body of the US Open, pays for the airfare and accommodations for TEAM USA to go to the event in France” which takes place on October 12, 2019 in Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley.