science

Varsity blind wine tasting match

Varsity blind wine tasting match is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Varsity blind wine tasting match rather than just read about it. In short: 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 the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews; and the blind wine tasting teams of the University of Bath and Bristol University.

Key takeaways

Varsity blind wine tasting match belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Varsity blind wine tasting match to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Varsity blind wine tasting match from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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 the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews; and the blind wine tasting teams of the University of Bath and Bristol University. It is sponsored by champagne house Pol Roger. The Oxford/Cambridge competition has run since 1953. The current Oxford/Cambridge convenor is James Simpson, Master of Wine (MW). Will Lyons is a judge for the Edinburgh/St Andrews competition The winning teams are invited to Épernay, 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. The losing team each win 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 MW, and the Cambridge judge was Hugh Johnson. Past judges have included Jasper Morris 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 (28 victories in total) including: 1994, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 Oxford (43 victories in total) including: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2026

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 [joint] 2014: Vaiva Imbrasaite (Cam), 195 points 2015: Swii Yii Lim and Yee Chuin Lim (both Ox) [joint] 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) 2024: Victoria Phan (Cam) 2025: Mikolaj Poplawski (Oxford) 2026: Julian Leidy (Oxford)

References

External links Reds, Whites and Varsity Blues, 60 Years of the Oxford & Cambridge Blind Wine-Tasting Competition Report on the 2006 match from the Daily Telegraph, 1 April 2006 Report on the 58th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2011 Archived 2014-02-25 at the Wayback Machine Report on the 59th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2012 Archived 2012-02-25 at the Wayback Machine New York Times story on the 60th Annual Varsity Wine Tasting Match, 2013 The Drinks Business article on the match, 2013 The Drinks Business article on the match, 2014 Jancis Robinson match report and book review, 2014 Archived 2014-03-10 at the Wayback Machine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Varsity blind wine tasting match

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Varsity blind wine tasting match claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Varsity blind wine tasting match before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Varsity blind wine tasting match ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Varsity blind wine tasting match

In research: Varsity blind wine tasting match appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Varsity blind wine tasting match in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Varsity blind wine tasting match is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics British wine, Student competitions, Students in the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Varsity blind wine tasting match outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Varsity blind wine tasting match in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Varsity blind wine tasting match means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Varsity blind wine tasting match out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Varsity blind wine tasting match in simple terms?

Why does Varsity blind wine tasting match matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Varsity blind wine tasting match?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Varsity blind wine tasting match.