Reds,
whites, dry or sweet… every wine deserves a special place in your palette!
However, it can still be pretty difficult to discover where those wines fall on
your “favorites” list. Have you ever wanted to try a wine, but weren’t sure
where to start? Sometimes the best place to start is at the very beginning,
with a wine tasting party.
A
blind wine tasting party is the perfect way to get friends and family together
to try a variety of different wines and see which ones you love the most. And
for those individuals who might have an allergy, are in a unique stage of life
or simply want to lead a healthier lifestyle, non-alcoholic wines are an ideal
option. A blind wine tasting party gives you the chance to try different wines,
rate them and see which ones you want to drink again, all with a little added
mystery. We put together some tips for how to throw your next blind wine
tasting party, so you can have an evening full of fun, friends and delicious
non-alcoholic wine.
Choose a theme.
The
first thing on the list for a wine tasting party is choosing a theme. If themes
aren’t really your style, that’s perfectly okay. Or, maybe you love a good
theme, so building the party around one is definitely on the list! Perhaps the
theme is a “romantic evening,” complete with decorative vinery, soft lighting
and red cutlery. Or, maybe the theme is “night on the town” complete with fun
music and glittery decor. Whatever you choose for the theme, design the party
around it for an extra fun appeal.
Prepare the pieces.
Once
you have a theme, prepare all of the pieces necessary for the party. You will
need:
●One wine glass per person.
●Wine markers or charms to
identify each person’s glass.
●Plain crackers or bread for
people to cleanse their palettes between tastings.
●Plates, napkins and cutlery
for snacks on the side.
●Tasting cards to keep track
of the wines’ scores and see which ones people enjoy the most. You can make
tasting cards yourself, download online or get them free included with our
discovery wine sets.
Choose the wines.
When
you have all of the pieces prepared, choose which wines you want to try at the
tasting party. Be sure to include a variety of different flavors, from red to
white, dry to sweet and maybe even a little sparkling in there. The more
variety, the better the tasting party will be, as guests will have a plethora
of different flavors to choose from on their tasting cards.
You
can create your own wine sample set, search online for which wines might pair
well together or you could try our available discovery wine sets. Decide
whether you want the wine set to be alcoholic, non-alcoholic or a combination
of the two. A strong sampling has anywhere from five to eight different wines,
depending on the number of guests and length of the party. You also don’t have
to provide all of the wine yourself; get guests involved by asking them to
bring their own bottle!
Serve up some snacks.
Next,
decide which snacks you want to go along with the chosen wines. Some foods pair
better with different types of wine; for instance, a plate of tasty meatballs
would pair deliciously with a bold red wine. Consider the wines in your sampler
set, then choose a few different snacks to go alongside them. By pairing snacks
to the wines, you can intentionally draw out more flavors from the wines, and
guests can get the best tasting experience possible.
Disguise the bottles.
Here’s
the most critical step for a blind wine tasting party: disguise the bottles.
This is where the “blind” comes in. Be sure bottles are of relatively the same
size and weight, then use foil or paper to wrap them and disguise which ones
are which. You want guests going into the process completely unbiased. The
disguise could be as simple as paper bags with numbers drawn on, or as creative
as your own
personalized labels! However you want to
disguise the bottles is only limited by your imagination.
Tally the scores.
Finally,
invite guests to use their tasting cards throughout the wine tasting party, so
you can track which wines you like, which ones you love and which ones you
absolutely have to have. The tasting cards can be used to take notes, rate and
compare the wines, for better discussion among guests. Then, at the end of the
party, tally up the scores and see which wine was your favorite, and which wine
was the overall favorite from the group. Unveil the wine behind the disguise to
see which was the winner! You might just be surprised to find out.
A
wine tasting party is the perfect way to gather friends and family and try a
variety of wines, all from the comfort of your own home. A
blind wine tasting party just makes it a little bit more
mysterious. Use these steps when you want to throw your own party, so you can
discover which wines are your favorite.