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Choosing a bottle of wine can be a frustrating experience. We all know what we like when we taste it, and most wine drinkers know which type of grape they favor, but that knowledge alone isn't enough to steer us toward a decent bottle.

Recommendations can be helpful, but they most often come from wine industry professionals, not average consumers, and don't always apply to what wine drinkers in Juneau can access. With that in mind, I thought the best way to get an unpretentious and accurate idea of a particular type of wine would be to conduct a blind tasting with volunteers from the general public. Their findings may help indicate what style and flavors wine drinkers have come to appreciate, and could point consumers toward a wine they might have otherwise overlooked.

As Malbec is a popular varietal on the market today, I asked local distributors to suggest wines that are currently available, as well as affordable, and poured them for a group of 10 volunteers. While all the volunteers on the panel on enjoy wine, none of them, aside from me, work in the beverage sales industry.

The tasting was semiformal in format. The goal was for the panel to taste, note aspects of, and rate the wines on their own terms using their own descriptors. No information about the wines other than the type was provided. The tasters were asked not to comment on the wine verbally, but to make written notes on the following aspects: color, bouquet or smell, body, taste and finish, using any terms they felt appropriate. After all the wines were tasted, the participants were asked to choose their three favorites. Finally, when their notes were collected, a discussion and revisiting of the wines took place and the results were unveiled.

A total of seven wines, all Malbec, were tasted. Among these, six were from Argentina and one was from California. All were in the $9.99 to $14.99 price range, and all were purchased locally. Although the wines were similar in price and were made from the same type of grapes, they differed greatly, according to the tasters' notes.

The overwhelming favorite, chosen by six out of 10 people, was the 2008 Trumpeter Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. An overview of the tasters' notes indicated that this wine was deep red in color, with notes of rose, vanilla, coffee and toasted oak. The wine also was described as having a smooth, rich, firm body, as well as delicious flavors of toast, vanilla and mocha, and a light, clean finish. Chocolate was the food of choice with this wine. Several members of the panel were surprised to discover that the hints of toast in the bouquet had been noted by more than one taster.

The second wine chosen by the panel was the 2007 High Note Malbec, from Mendoza Argentina. Two members of the panel voted this wine as their first choice, with three more voting it as their second choice and one voting it third best of the wines tasted. Tasters concluded it was deep, inky and cherry in color, with notes of plum, lilac and cherry, as well as a faint oak bouquet. The rich, robust body was described as being complimented by silky flavors of plum and strawberry, with a dry smooth finish. One person on the panel commented that it would be a very food-friendly wine.

The number three favorite was an even split between 2007 Nandu Malbec and 2008 Diseno Malbec both from Mendoza, Argentina. The Nandu was described as bright, warm and ruby in color, with notes of wood and blackberry on the nose. Tasters noted a medium body, as well as rich flavors of earth, plum and red fruits, with a dry, clean, refreshing finish. The consensus was that the Nandu was easy to drink and accessible to most wine drinkers. The Diseno was described as a very light ruby in color, with a minimal floral nose and very light body with flavors of raspberry and cherry and a light, slightly tart finish. Tasters pointed out that the Diseno might go well with mild cheeses or tapas.

The final three wines did not show favorably and would be pointless to discuss.

Everyone on the panel had a great time, fulfilling my requirement that the wine-tasting experience be a comfortable one with little pressure. The panel and I are looking forward to future blind tastings to further explore more exciting aspects of the local wine world.

A special thanks to the kind staff at Zephyr for hosting our tasting.

• Keith Crocker works for Specialty Imports. The wines selected for this column were representative of all three local distributors: Specialty Imports, K&L Distributors and the Odom Company. Crocker can be reached at kpcrocker@gmail.com.