We love to have wine tasting parties with a mixture of guests ranging in age from their later 20’s to their 60’s.  That way you are sure to get a good variety of wines from less than $10 bottles to more than $50 bottles!

This is one of our wine tasting party ideas that we executed last month.  It was a big success!

•8 bottles with a mixture of reds & whites for 16 people

How we constructed our tasting:
1. Wrapped each bottle with brown paper bags to hide the labels.  We then put a # on each one.  This way our tasting could be somewhat blind.
2. Asked everyone to bring their own wine glass and to wear something funny.
3. Organized appetizers of cheese and crackers, fruits, and a pitcher of water.  We also gave each person a piece of paper and a pen to rate the wines from 1 (least favorite) to 5 (exceptional).
4. Gave everyone a number from 1 to 4 and got into 4 groups of 4 for the tasting.  This way people who don’t know each other get to meet and chat.  By the end of the night they are buddies, trust me!
5. Group 1 started with wine #1, group 2 with wine #2 and so on.
6. Each group discussed the wine together and then individually rated it on their piece of paper.
7. At the end of the tasting we collected each taster’s wine ratings and our “Mathematician” averaged the scores to find the group favorite.

2009 Wine Tasting Party Winner:  Forty-Five North, Pinot Noir Rose ($18)