How Do You Host a Blind Wine Tasting Party?
Blind wine tasting parties are a fun and educational way to spend time with friends while exploring the world of wine. Learn how to organize and host a successful blind wine tasting event with these easy-to-follow steps.
Setting Up Your Wine Blind Tasting Party
Inviting Guests and Selecting Wines
The first step in planning your blind wine tasting party is to invite your guests and decide on the wines. Here's what you need to do:
- Ask friends to bring a bottle of wine as their "admission ticket"
- Consider setting a price cap or specifying a wine region
- Focusing on a specific region enhances learning potential (e.g., Loire Valley)
Essential Materials
To ensure a smooth tasting experience, gather the following materials:
- Wine glasses (stemmed preferred, but stemless work too)
- Wine bottle bags or tall paper lunch bags (SUPER IMPORTANT! Make sure whatever bags you are using are tall enough to conceal the wine bottles. Separate the whites from reds and rosés if you have all three)
- Notepads and pens for each guest
- Scoreboard (whiteboard, Excel spreadsheet, or notebook)
Preparing the Wine Tasting Area
Before your guests arrive, set up the tasting area:
- Number each bagged wine bottle
- Separate wines by type (white, red, rosé)
- Set up the scoreboard with guests' names and wine numbers
- Create a word bank of possible wine varietals (optional)
Conducting the Blind Wine Tasting
Wine Tasting Order
When it's time to start tasting, follow this order:
- Start with white wines
- Progress to red wines
- Aim for light-bodied to full-bodied progression
Wine Tasting Process
Guide your guests through the tasting process:
- Pour wine for all guests
- Allow time for deliberation
- Each guest describes the wine and guesses the varietal
- Encourage creative descriptions to enhance fun
Revealing the Wines
After all wines have been tasted, it's time for the big reveal:
- Unveil wines in any order after tasting is complete
- Record guesses on the scoreboard
Wrapping Up the Blind Tasting
Determining Winners and Losers
Conclude the evening by tallying up the results:
- Count correct guesses for each guest
- Award prizes to the winner (e.g., leftover wine or bet winnings)
- Decide on a penalty for the person with the least correct guesses