Bacchanales (1993)

Bacchanales provides the step-by-step process, elements, and references required to accurately observe, smell, and taste a wine in order to determine the varietal, the vintage year, and even the appellation of a wine without having seen its label. Detect the greatest number of clues and win the game.

Contents:
· 40 aroma reference vials
· 4 flavor reference vials
· 100 fill-in wine-tasting forms
· 2 wine-tasting guides
· 1 measuring spoon
· 1 glass Testaroma

Method:
The game unfolds in two phases: 1) Training players to recognize the aromas found in wine; 2) Observation and tasting of the wine itself.

1st Phase: Acquainting players with the aromas. This phase may constitute a full-fledged game in itself (see Variant below). It is then a challenge of trying to guess the scent in each aroma vial (the answer is on the bottom).

These aromas are divided into 4 groups:
· 21 primary reference aromas (varietal aromas), ex: leather, licorice, apricot, etc....
· 7 secondary aromas (wine-making aromas), ex: cinnamon, lemon, etc....
· 7 tertiary aromas (aromas of aging), ex: prune, mushroom, etc....
· 5 odors indicating the principal defects found in wine, ex: detergent, cork, etc....

2nd Phase: The game itself. Each players has been asked to bring a bottle of wine. All players have taken care to conceal the label from the other players. The person whose wine is being tasted will temporarily be the game moderator while all others will try to answer the questions regarding the wine’s origin, vintage, grape varietal, defects, vinification process, aging potential, outcome, balance, etc. Sounds difficult or impossible? It’s not—and here’s why…

The accompanying wine-tasting guides provide all of the pertinent observations in wine-tasting. The players’ challenge is to accurately match the observations of the wine you are tasting with the ones listed in the guides. Alongside each observation you will find the interpretations or answers. For example, if you observe a red wine with a ruby shade and a brick reflection, the interpretation will be a “2- to 5-year old” wine. A Champagne or sparkling wine with small and fast bubbles is a “quality sparkling wine.”

Bacchanales was developed for wine-lovers of all levels, allowing participants to improve and perfect their knowledge in wine-tasting with each round. On average, 80 percent of all people who have no prior wine experience can answer 3 out of 5 questions accurately. In just one round, participants will become true connoisseurs, discovering the many secrets of wine-tasting.

Variant:
If your friends are Boardgame Geeks rather than wine-lovers, you can always forgo a regular game of Bacchanales to play a game of “Scent Identity.” This variant using olfactory memory is original and very instructive: Randomly select 10 or 12 of the aroma vials (a greater number makes the game a little long and difficult). On a sheet of paper, draw a corresponding number of circles. Label the circles with the names of the selected aromas. Mix the aroma vials. Set a time limit and have each player attempt to place the correct vial on the correct name!