Blind faith in Pinot Noir and Riesling

Of all the varieties, Pinot Noir and Riesling seem to inspire particular fervour. Two recent London tastings, both blind, emphasised exactly that: the Stonier International Pinot Noir Tasting and Ravenous for Riesling. The former is an annual event organised by Stonier of the Mornington Peninsula, held outside Australia for the first time in 2011. The latter was a pop-up blinder of Rieslings from all over the world, organised and hosted by sommelier, writer and blogger Robert Giorgione (whom you can see at the beginning of today's video Top sommeliers confront Nature).

The Pinot Noir tasting presented a perfect microcosm of...