Wine lovers · tasting · Bordeaux
How to organise a vertical or horizontal tasting
A vertical is one château across several vintages; a horizontal, several châteaux from the same year. Choose the château or the year from the wines we have in stock, the number of guests and the pour: the tool works out the bottles, the glasses, the serving order, what needs decanting, and the budget for those exact vintages.
Your tasting
Guide prices incl. VAT per bottle, excluding delivery, confirmed on the quote. Only 75 cl bottles are offered here; magnums on request.
The vintages in stock, year by year
The bottles on the Transvins price list, sorted by year, with the year's rating for the reds. Guide prices incl. VAT per bottle of the format, confirmed on the quote.
Vertical or horizontal?
A vertical shows how the same wine travels through time and through different years: the same signature, sunny or cool vintages, wines still closed next to wines at their peak. It's the best way to get to know a château. It needs a château followed over a long time: the wines we have across eight to ten vintages lend themselves to it.
A horizontal compares terroirs in the same conditions: Pauillac against Margaux, Left Bank against Right Bank, classified growth against cru bourgeois. It's often done blind. To choose the year, see the vintage chart; to find out whether each wine is ready, when to open this bottle.
Preparing the tasting
- Two days before, bottles standing upright, at 16–17 °C for the reds.
- Two hours before, open and taste each bottle: a corked bottle can be replaced before the guests arrive. Aerate the young ones in a carafe, decant the old ones at the last moment: see aerating or decanting.
- Glasses: one per wine per guest if possible, otherwise three or four per person, rinsed with the next wine. Identical glasses, so that only the wine is compared.
- On the table: a white tablecloth to read the colour, spittoons, still water, white bread, a notes sheet per guest.
- Afterwards: a simple dish that doesn't mask the wine, roast meat or aged cheeses, with what's left in the bottles.
A more festive tasting among friends, with aperitif and dinner, is worked out on the tasting evening with friends page. And if you have several vintages of the same wine at home, list them: those that are ready to drink make a ready-made vertical.
How many wines for a vertical tasting?
Between four and eight. Fewer, and the comparison is cut short; beyond eight, palates tire and the last wines are poorly judged. For more wines, do two flights with a break.
How many bottles per wine?
A 75 cl bottle serves about eighteen 4 cl pours, twelve of 6 cl, seven of 10 cl. Up to twelve guests at a guided tasting, one bottle per wine is enough; beyond that, two.
In what order should a vertical be served?
Generally from youngest to oldest: the old wine, more delicate, has the last word and isn't overwhelmed by the power of the young ones. Some prefer the reverse order when the old wines are very fragile; taste them on opening and decide.
Should you taste blind?
For a horizontal, yes: without the label, you judge the wine and not the reputation. For a vertical, you can hide just the year and have people guess the order of the vintages.
The vintages you want to compare aren't in the list? Ask us for them: we also look among fellow merchants, and reply with prices within 48 working hours.