“TASTE OF THE WORLD”: WORLD DATABASE OF TASTE AVAILABLE TO ALL ON INTERNET. THE WINES JUDGED BY SIX OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS SOMMELIER IN THE WORLD

A presentation was recently held in Milan at the new head office of San Pellegrino in Via Ludovico il Moro, by partners Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino to present their “Taste of the World” project. Child project of “Tasted” magazine and on the internet at www.tastedonline.com, where the tasting database, constantly updated, is available online to everyone: sector operators (sommelier, buyers, importers, wine shop and restaurant owners). wine producers, and wine enthusiasts. The database currently contains about 1,500 wines from all over the world, but the site is set to have over 2,500 labels by the end of 2007. The six sommelier involved are: Frenchman, Hervé Pennequin (third place for sommelier of the world 2004); American, Mark Slater (sommelier at Citronelle restaurant in Washington); Swede, Andrea Larsson (best sommelier of Europe 2004); Spanish, Teresa Perez (second place sommelier of Spain 2005); Japanese, Motohiro Okoshi (second place sommelier of Japan 2003); and Italy’s own Giuseppe Vaccarini, winner sommelier of the world in 1978, and for many years president of AIS, the international sommelier association.
This group meets periodically (with the last session held at the San Pellegrino offices) to taste wines together, in the same environmental conditions, always with rigorously blind tastings. Giuseppe Vaccarini noted, “In the end, for each wine, points are assigned with a cent system, the average score of the votes by the six sommelier, but what counts even more is the textual judgment by each of us that, apart from the points (which in the end are a simplification), is also given to all wines and offers a more complete idea of a wine and its characteristics. It also offers the judging differences that come from the different cultural and social backgrounds of the sommelier who come from countries that have both historical wine production as well as countries that are relatively new like the United States and Japan.
And the connection with water? How did this partnership come about with one of the most famous mineral water producers in the world? Arnaud Tillon, the international brand manager for Acqua Panna, explained: “Well, we liked the project of Anthony Chicheportiche, editor of 'Tasted' magazine. And it must also be emphasized that there has always been the food-wine combination discussion, relegating water to the background even though it is the third most fundamental element on the dinner table. Now, ever more high level restaurants are presenting water lists and sommeliers, who are practiced in tasting, are the best people to take on this role as well”.
Vaccarini continued by noting that, “It could appear to be a stretch, but there are mineral waters that are completely different from others, capable of influencing the perception of food and also wine. Therefore, apart from the historic food-wine combination, we are capable of suggesting the correct food-water combination, as well as (and this is the novelty) a wine-water combination: in several blind tasting sessions we were able to confirm how different waters combined with the same wine could influence significantly the judgment of the wine itself”.
And finally, a few words on the new head offices of San Pellegrino, which will be finished by the end of 2007. Created in the vacated industrial area that once belonged to Richard Ginori, it is a true temple dedicated to mineral water, with hanging gardens, Zen gardens, large windowed rooms, and a large aquatic sculpture in the works by celebrated Japanese sculptor Susumu Shingu.