How to Host a Wine Party
Wine tasting parties are a fun and affordable way to try many different wines with a group of friends. Pick a theme (suggestions below), ask all of your guests to bring a bottle, and let the fun begin!
The Basics
We highly suggest blind tasting the wines -- people love the element of guessing and you can turn it into a fun competition! Not only that, but it can be very enlightening: often, our favorite wine is not the most expensive one!
What you’ll need:Download our blind tasting sheet!
Hint: If you don’t have any bags, try wrapping the bottles with aluminum foil or covering them with a sock!
Optional accessories: A selection of different cheeses, crackers or bread, appetizers (try one of our favorite recipes!), and water for rinsing and hydration.
Preparation: Ask your guests to each bring a bottle of wine (see below ideas for themes). Wrap the bottles in paper bags and write a number on each bottle. If you have enough glasses for everyone to have one per wine, people can compare wines side by side. If not, one glass per person is fine; be sure to take notes on what you are tasting along the way!
Wine Tasting Themes
Varietal: For example, a tasting of Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley. Ask your guests to bring their favorite Russian River Valley Pinot Noir in a certain price range, say $20-$30, wrap them in brown paper bags, and then taste through them. At the end, have everyone pick their favorite wine and share with the group what they liked about it. Then unveil the bottles and reveal to people what they tasted!
Tasting Through Tiers: First, pick a varietal – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, or Zinfandel. Start with our Russian River Valley tier and move into our O.F.S. and Vineyard Designate tier. You will see how wines of the same varietal made by the same winemaker can be very different in style due to differences in terroir.
Vertical Tastings: A vertical tasting is one in which different vintages of the same wine are sampled. This is a great way to see how a wine evolves over time. If tasting blind, see if your guests can rank the wines from youngest to oldest!