Last year’s competitors pose for a group photo during the World Tasting Championships.
October 1, 2025 – Representing your country in a top-level competition for world honors in a blind wine tasting competition is a privilege few will enjoy. But Sommelier Paige Bindel, a 22-year veteran of Péppoli at Spanish Bay, is an expert.
She trains each and every day to hone her master sleuth skills at identifying country of origin and varietal. It serves her well daily, and it will hopefully serve her team well as they get ready to put their sniffers and deductive powers to the test against other top somms from around the world.
A 4th generation local, born in Big Sur, she’s been a member of the USA Wine Team for the past two years and will participate in her second World Tasting Championship this week, October 3—4, 2025.
As you may have seen on KSBW, our one remaining Central Coast broadcast station, (farewell, KION, we were just beginning to love your new direction), Bindel is about to head to France where she and her fellow team mates will compete against 45 teams from other countries for top honors in a high stakes blind tasting that will take place over two days at Château Cantenac Brown. The competition is put on by La Revue du Vin de France, a highly regarded French wine publication, is organizer by Philippe de Cantenac.
Team USA Sommelier Paige Bindel
The preparation is intense.
“I’m literally blind tasting like an Olympian,” says Bindel. “We train competition style, with people in Connecticut and Colorado, and here in California. We send eachother three wines and practice like the competition, with a total of 12 wines per session.”
Bindel is constantly tasting on the job, as they have a huge wine list at Péppoli. “Colleagues are always bringing wine to me and asking me what it is! If I go to a back yard BBQ, I assess whatever people are pouring, and most times I am spitting!”
She earned her sommelier certifications courtesy of the training program at Pebble Beach Resorts. The Court of Master Sommeliers was brought onsite to train the staff, which she says, was a life-changing opportunity. Her intensive training required sitting for many blind tasting exams. “It’s just you, six glasses of unknown wines sitting in front of you—three whites and three reds—and three Masters (of Wine) sitting across the table,” she says.
But the World Tasting Championships require collaboration. “We learn one another’s strengths and build trust together relying on each other,” she says. “It’s interesting how trained palates can pick up distinct clues.”
Her teammates last year were Somms Katy Long, Stacie Hunt, and Kristen Shubert. “Kristen’s precision, Stacie’s breadth of knowledge, and Katy’s calm, analytical style have all influenced me. We sharpen one another.” This year she’ll be rejoining Team Captain Katy Long and new members Ryan Robinson and Dave Reuss.
All those sleuthing skills will need to be at the top of their game.
“We will be blind tasting 12 wines which can come from anywhere in the world,” she explains. “We have 10 minutes per wine. For the first two minutes, we solo assess the wine. Then we work together for 8 minutes as a team, comparing notes. For example, pale yellow, medium alcohol, tree fruit–where are we going in the world?”
That’s the key. Tying wine to place is the Holy Grail. Easier said than done.
“Sometimes we know where we are going,” says Bindel. “The structure always prevails: the acid, the alcohol, the tannins, these always tell you where it’s from.”
Sometimes a wine really talks to you and nailing it is immediate, but even then, they work the formula and take the entire time to ensure they’ve actually made the correct ID.
By the way, all wines are poured from decanters, one at a time. There is no clue as to bottle identity and all teams are evaluating the same wine at the same time.
Last year, she tells us, they got hit with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon blended in. “This was unique, because they usually barrel-age these wines in Bordeaux. But this New Zealand one was unoaked: done in stainless. The aromatics were subdued and yet it was rounded.”
They next poured a Vega Sicilia Rioja that used French and American oak to pull out all the nuances. “Team USA was unanimous on that one!” she says.
They had two tricky wines: a Barolo from Italy and a Mourvèdre from Bandol. “They looked so identical: red and garnet rim fade. They had the same structure: super acid and high tannin, enough to pull your lip off!”
They nailed the Barolo, but thought the second wine was a Sangiovese. Team Italy sniffed and sussed their way to the winner’s trophy last year. Who knows what’s in store this year?
“Last year, we placed 20th out of 40 teams worldwide,” says Bindel. “We are training hard to improve that standing this year. Our goal is to place in the top 5 finishers.” She’s pretty stoked they beat France in the standings last year, though. “A feather in my cap!”
Bindel, who works dinners at Péppoli at Spanish Bay Wednesdays through Saturdays, credits her early days as a mixologist at Il Fornaio in Carmel and the former Ferrante’s atop the Monterey Marriott, for her start in the hospitality business. Her husband is a chef and his family owned The Old Bath House, which is where the couple met. It’s also where she first started getting into wine.
Being at Pebble Beach brought her in contact with the now famous Master Sommelier Jim Rollston, who was a sommelier at The Lodge before going to Michelin darling Manresa. “He helped demystify blind tastings for me,” she says. Rollston and Bindel often blind tasted almost daily with Somms Jeff Berkemeir (formerly Casanova) and Ted Glennon for 10 years. “We had a front row seat to watch Jim become an MS!”
Considering she has been with Péppoli for almost all of its 25 years, she’s watched customers bringing in their kids, who now bring in their kids for dinner: she’s watched the staff do the same. It’s a multigeneration destination for local foodies, who stuck by them through the dark days of the pandemic, when the restaurant was closed. She’s forever grateful for their support.
Now the dinner house is busier than ever. “On a weekly basis, my wine sales are vast,” says Bindel. “They beat out the food sales! We do between 90 and 160 covers nightly, and 50% of covers are ordering wine. We can sometimes make more money with wine!”
As a world class golf destination, Pebble Beach attracts many serious wine connoisseurs. “They love our Napa Cabs, of which we have a huge breadth and depth,” says Bindel. “The Europeans like to stick to their roots.” She sells a lot of Champagne. Local wines are also on the list.
If people are flexible and curious, she’ll ask them a few questions and then lead them to a country and a wine that fits their profile. It’s a satisfying cross between travel agent and matchmaker.
Every single interaction adds to the data bank that will hopefully help Team USA achieve its goal.
Winning requires fundamental preparation and also the right mindset, according to competition moderator Philippe de Cantenac quoted on the World Tasting Championship website. “You have to train well and also be in a state of ‘grace’ on the day of the competition. You also need good understanding within the team and sometimes a good coach when it comes to take the right decisions.”
Wishing you the best Paige. Go Team USA!!
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
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