The Sommelier Challenge: our summer game for wine lovers

You've probably noticed it this summer: everyone's sharing little online games. You click, play for two minutes, drop your score in the group chat, and off you go again. It's become the unofficial sport of the coffee break.

We took a close look. And of course, it gave us an idea.

The phenomenon of games on a loop

The best example right now is 82-0. A dead-simple basketball game: you build a team of five players, picked from every era of the NBA, capable of winning all 82 games of a season without losing a single one. You land on a random team and decade, pick your player, and keep going until your dream five is set.

No account to create, no paywall, nothing to install. Just you, a few clicks, and the burning urge to show your team to your mates. The game blew up in a matter of days, all the way to the number one topic on social media in the US.

And with the World Cup keeping the whole summer buzzing, it's the same story on the football side. Prediction games are running at full speed: you fill in your bracket, bet on the next finalist, build your dream eleven, and compare with your friends after every match. Between the couch and the apéro, it's become the ritual of the season.

Why does it work so well? Three reasons, always the same:

• Randomness. You never know what you'll land on, so every game is different.
• Simplicity. You get the rules in ten seconds, no manual needed.
• Sharing. Your score is a story worth telling. And that makes you want to challenge everyone else.

We figured this lovely trend was missing just one thing: a version for the people who love wine.

Meet the Sommelier Challenge

So we made it. Here's the Sommelier Challenge, our summer game for wine lovers.

The idea? You step into the sommelier's shoes for one round. We serve you a menu of seven courses, picked at random, and for each dish you choose the wine that goes best with it. A lake fish starter, a game dish, a chocolate dessert: it's on you to find the pairing that hits the mark.

No worries if you're a beginner. That's exactly where it gets interesting.

How it works

The game takes just a few minutes, right from your phone or computer:

1. You get your menu. Seven courses, picked at random. Every round is unique.
2. You make your pairings. For each dish, you pick the wine that feels most spot-on from the options offered.
3. You discover your score. Every choice gets rated: perfect pairing, decent pairing, or a miss.
4. You learn as you go. An AI sommelier walks through your answers one by one and explains why a given wine works with a given dish. That's where you get better without even realising it.

The cool part is you walk away with something extra every round. You finally get why a crisp white beats a bold red on fish, or why a dessert can bring a great wine to its knees. In short, you improve with every round, and you'll have something to show off at your next dinner.

Up for grabs: a month of Tasters Explorer

Because a good game deserves a good reward, we put something on the table.

Every entry gives you a chance to win a free month of Tasters Explorer, our subscription that takes you travelling through wine regions, guides and quizzes included. A CHF 99 value, handed to the person drawn at random in August.

And like in every good summer game, you can stack the odds in your favour: share your challenge with your friends, and every share earns you one more chance. Might as well turn your group chat into a playground.

Ready to take on the challenge?

There you go, now you know everything. One menu, seven courses, seven pairings to find, and an AI sommelier to explain your choices afterwards. Enough to keep you busy on your lunch break, challenge your mates, and put a month of wine adventure on the line.

Best thing is to just try it. Start your first round of the Sommelier Challenge and tell us what score you land.

Have fun, and may the best palate win.