A very different wine tasting experience has popped up in McLaren Vale, and you’ll need to step into the dark and rethink what you know about tasting wine to try it.
Hardys Tintara is hosting Tasting in the Dark, an immersive 90-minute sensory wine experience set inside its historic Fortified Cellar.
The unique tasting combines wine education, entertainment and discovery, giving guests exclusive access to one of the winery’s most atmospheric spaces while exploring how the senses shape the way we understand wine.
As one may know, the five senses all play a role in how we go about a normal wine tasting, but when you take one of those away, how does this transform the experience?
You’ll have to go along to find out.
The guided tasting is designed to challenge the role sight plays in wine perception. With the lights dimmed, blindfolds on and wine served in black glasses, guests will be asked to taste without visual cues, uncovering how colour, expectation and appearance can influence flavour, aroma and even confidence.
Hosted by an expert guide, the experience explores how sight, smell, taste, touch and sound work together when tasting wine. Guests will learn the science behind aroma, flavour, texture and perception, while building practical skills they can take into future tastings, dinner parties and social occasions.
The experience is suitable for both beginners and seasoned wine lovers, with the focus not on getting every answer right, but on understanding your own palate. It offers a relaxed, interactive way to learn more about wine without the pressure that can sometimes come with traditional tastings.
Held deep within the Fortified Cellar at Hardys Tintara, the setting adds to the drama of the experience. The cellar’s historic character and dimly lit atmosphere create a fitting backdrop for a tasting that is all about removing assumptions and discovering wine in a completely different way.
Tasting in the Dark is equal parts educational and entertaining, offering guests a memorable McLaren Vale experience that goes beyond a standard cellar door visit and be quick to book as spots are filling fast.
Tasting in the Dark
Where: Hardys Tintara, McLaren Vale
Price: From $140 per person
For more info or to book, click here.
