Bisavis team triumphs at Spain’s Blind Tasting Championship

The team representing Bisavis, a wine-centric restaurant in Barcelona, has claimed victory at the sixth edition of the Spanish Blind Tasting Championship, held in Cambados, Galicia. Eduard Ros, Marla González, Cristóbal Daly and Marc Martínez secured the top spot with a score of 95 out of a possible 200 points, edging out the runners-up (91 points) and third-place team (85 points) in a closely fought competition.

This marks a repeat triumph for Eduard Ros and Marla González, who also topped the podium in 2022. With this second win, they match the record held by Terroir a Ciegas from Valencia, champions in 2021 and 2024. Their teammates this year, Cristóbal Daly and Marc Martínez, are not wine professionals but rather passionate enthusiasts and loyal guests at Bisavis. Daly, originally from Chile, runs Nordy, a renewable energy company, while Martínez is a physicist working at La Caixa.

“We have great chemistry as a team, and that’s essential,” says Marla González, sommelier and Brand Ambassador for Vinícola Real 200 Monges. “Everyone contributes but also respects each other’s opinions. If someone makes a strong case for a wine and gets it wrong, it’s no big deal.” Marla illustrates this with a key moment during the competition: “One of the whites had the group leaning towards Verdejo, but at the last second I went with Godello from Bierzo... and I was right.” However, not all bets paid off. In the case of the Vermentino —which Cristóbal had initially identified correctly— Marla made a bold call, convinced it was a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The team backed her... and missed the mark. “But that’s all part of blind tasting,” she says.

The podium was rounded out by two strong teams: Alberto Ruffoni, Boris Olivas, Álvaro Alcalde and Ismael Mena, who narrowly missed out on the title with a second-place finish, and Luca Bernasconi, Paco Senís, Guillaume Glories and producer Carlos Cerdán, who took third.

The event drew a notable turnout from across the wine world, including producers like Dirk Niepoort, Tao Platón, Jorge de las Heras and Raúl Moreno —who was part of the winning team in 2022— as well as seasoned sommeliers such as Delia Baeza and David Villalón (of the acclaimed Madrid venues La Fisna and Angelita, respectively) and Fernando Cundín of Ganz.

As national champions, the Bisavis team will go on to represent Spain at the World Blind Tasting Championship, to be held on 3–4 October in France’s Jura region. A win there would bring Spain its second global title, following the first in 2015.

Each team, composed of three or four participants, had to identify the grape variety (the main category in terms of points), country, appellation, producer and vintage of eight wines tasted blind. They were given a maximum of 10 minutes per wine.

Organised by Philippe and Lara Cesco (Arrabal 18), José Luis and Jacobo Aragunde (Ribeira de Fefiñáns) and Daniel Monsonís (Eclèctic Vins), the championship hit a new record this year with 40 teams and 160 participants.

“We try to push people outside their comfort zones and encourage more diverse drinking habits,” explained Monsonís. “This year we included a Vermentino and three wines from the Champagne region. In Spain, there’s a strong tendency to drink by label, and here we’re aiming to foster greater diversity.”

The eight wines in the competition

Laculle Frères, Champagne, Pinot Blanc, 2018, France
Fattoria de Magliano Pagliatura, Maremma Toscana, Vermentino, 2023, Italy
Lukas Hammelmann, Pfalz, Chardonnay, 2023, Germany
Raúl Pérez, Bierzo, Godello, 2022, Spain
Bêreche et Fils, Champagne, Pinot Meunier, 2020, France
Zárate, Rias Baixas, Caíño tinto, 2023, Spain
Jules Brochet, Coteaux Champenois, Pinot Noir, 2018, France
Marqués de Murrieta, Rioja, Tempranillo, 2019, Spain