Lidl announce first ‘wine tasting in the dark’ event – and it’s coming to Scotland
Lidl is taking a wine tasting in the dark pop-up around the UK this festive season, finds Rosalind Erskine
Named Lidl Chateaux Noir, the wine tasting event will help guests to identify top quality wine in the run-up to Christmas – even when immersed in total darkness.
It comes as new research by the supermarket reveals Scots are relying on what the bottle looks like, rather than focusing on what’s inside – almost a third (28 per cent) will choose their wine based on the design of the bottle, and across the UK, more than a quarter (27 per cent) will choose wine based on a luxury or premium label. What’s more, half (50 per cent) of Scots say they don’t know what makes a wine ‘good quality’.
The confusion around wine quality means customers are often paying over the odds to get a good quality bottle of wine. More than a third (31 per cent) think you have to spend at least £9 for a good quality bottle of wine, while a third would spend a whopping £13 or more for a bottle of wine for a Christmas party or festive social occasion. By offering guests the chance to taste wine in the dark
– served by night-vision goggle clad waiters – the team at Lidl believe wine lovers can learn to identify real quality wine.
Visitors to Lidl Chateaux Noir will start in the ‘Discombobulation Chamber’ – a candy cane striped space which throws off their senses with clever tricks of scale. Guests will then move through to the ‘Cellar Noir’ where they will be the first to experience a blind wine tasting journey hosted by Lidl’s Master of Wine Richard Bampfield, who will guide their palates through eight glasses of wine. Once guests have finished their tasting, they will then be guided into the Salle de Noel – a festive wonderland decked out with real Christmas trees, mince pies and snacks.
Mr Bampfield said: “At Lidl Chateaux Noir, we want to encourage visitors to see if they can identify a wine’s quality in a completely new setting – using darkness to dispel common prejudices that come with buying wine. This is a unique opportunity to forget everything you thought you knew about wine and challenge your senses with us.”
The Lidl Chateaux Noir will be at the Argyle Street Arches, Glasgow on 23 and 24 November. Tickets to the event cost £4 plus an extra 90p booking fee, with all proceeds going to the NSPCC to help keep children in the UK safe.