Blind man outperforms ‘99.9%’ of winemakers

A US chemistry student who was born blind is turning his talent to wine, earning respect for his refined palate.

Hobt Wedler. Credit: UC Davis

Hoby Wedler, a student at the University of California, was born with a rare disorder that required the surgical removal of his eyes. As such, he has developed a refined sense of smell and taste, which is now helping him to carve a career in the Californian wine trade.

As reported by The Sacramento Bee, the 27-year-old’s sense of smell is so developed that he is able to ascertain where he is in the city of Davis based on its smell, describing the city itself as smelling of alfalfa.

“I pay a lot of attention to detail,” he said. “I’ve always loved relying on my sense of smell to tell me where I am. I don’t think it’s better than anyone else’s, but I focus on smell and hearing to get around, so in that sense, they are enhanced because I rely on them more.”

Each month Wedler hosts a “tasting in the dark” session at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, in which guests are blindfolded and asked to taste and judge wines as Wedler does.

“He’s bringing a new dimension to our field and getting people to look at wine in a different way. It’s breaking down barriers,” said Corey Beck, president and director of winemaking the winery. “Here’s somebody who’s blind, and he’s better at describing the wine than 99.9% of the winemakers out there.”

The sessions have proved to be so popular that Wedler has been asked to host a similar session on beer.

Wedler is currently studying for a chemistry docterate at the University of California, and also runs a three-day science camp for the blind.