How To Host a Blind Wine Tasting Party

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Every year around the holidays, my good friend hosts a blind wine tasting party. I love entertaining, hanging out with friends, and wine, so I thought I would give this party idea a go on my own. It was the perfect opportunity for some of the Fairfield County Mom contributor team to get together and introduce the hubbies. It was also super simple to put together.

How It Works:

This isn’t just any wine tasting party, but a BLIND wine tasting. This means the bottle/varietal you are tasting is not disclosed, and you compete against other guests to see who brought the best bottle of wine! Some friendly competition makes any gathering a little bit more fun.

Every couple (or person) invited brings two of the same bottles of wine. You can open it up to any varietal or limit it to just reds or just whites. I decided not to set any limits; however, I knew one guest didn’t like Sauvignon Blanc, so I thought I’d stick to a Pinot Noir to increase my chances. Be sure to tell your guests to bring the bottles in a bag, so no one sees which wine they brought. Once everyone arrived, I discretely wrapped them all in brown bags and red ribbon and then numbered them. The second bottles were set aside for the winner(s).

Once the tasting began, I brought out each wine one at a time. Each guest was given a wine glass and scoring sheet. Guests were encouraged to jot down a few notes about each wine, especially to which wines were enjoyed the most. On the score sheet that I choose (thanks to Pinterest!), there was a rating scale from 1-5. This really helped when choosing the best wine at the end. 

Thank you, Jenna Sue Design Co.

In between each wine, we all shared our thoughts and tried to guess what each wine could be. Once the final wine had been tasted, the score sheets were collected and tallied to determine the wine everyone liked most. We actually had a tie between two wines, so we did a second round to determine the winner. 

The Food:

Any great party has lots of great food…especially when there is lots of drinking involved. I decided to serve a veggie platter, goat cheese balls, shrimp cocktail, and chocolate chip cookies. Other guests brought delicious foods that complimented some of the wines. A cheese platter, artisan chocolates, Parmesan Biscotti, and brownies were a must-have for our group. Also, be sure to have plenty of other wine and drinks on hand for guests to enjoy. wine tasting food

The Prizes:

The couple whose wine got the most votes won all of the second bottles of wine everyone brought. I added a twist, and the second runner up got to bring home the winner’s second bottle. The winning bottle was a Rose – Cote des Roses. The other wines we tasted were Whispering Angel Rose, Stag’s Leap Karia Chardonnay, The Pinot Project Pinot Noir, and a Stoller Pinot Noir.

So if you are looking for a fun party idea, I recommend giving a blind wine tasting a try. I guarantee it’s a great time for fun and friends. And who knows, you might just find your next favorite bottle of wine.

blind wine tasting

Have you ever done a blind wine tasting? 

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Michelle
Michelle is the Owner and Editor of Fairfield County Mom and Westchester County Mom. She has spent her entire life in Fairfield County, growing up in Norwalk and now residing in Fairfield, CT. Michelle married her husband, Chris, in October 2008. Before motherhood, she thought she was busy, but now life with her son Shane (March 2011), twins, Blake and Brynn (June 2013), Hank the Lab, and Bruce the Frenchie; the meaning of hectic has been redefined! Michelle is also a working mom, teaching third grade at a local public school. When she’s not making lists, chauffeuring the kids, and doing laundry, Michelle enjoys standing along the sidelines cheering on her kids, lounging with a good book, eating dark chocolate, and sipping on some tequila.

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