How to Host a Blind Wine Tasting Party

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Looking for creative wine tasting ideas? Throw a blind wine tasting party ... it's easy with these fun tips and free printables!

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Getting together with friends is one of the best ways to relax ... especially if a little wine is involved!

If your friends love wine as much as you do, kick things up at your next party by holding a blind tasting. A blind wine tasting is a test of wine tasting skills, where you and your guest can attempt to determine a wine's varietal (and other characteristics, like region, vintage, and producer) by relying only on your senses.

Wine connoisseurs take these blind tastings very seriously, but you can hold one more for fun ... and bragging rights!

Sound enjoyable? Then keep reading, because I'm sharing tons of blind wine tasting party ideas. We'll talk about everything from choosing your wine to tasting it.

I've also included three free printables to help you throw your party:

Bottle Labels
Party Invitations
Wine Tasting Score Cards

You can find these files at the end of the post.

How to Host a Blind Wine Tasting

A blind tasting can be a fun, low key party idea. Trust me, once the wine starts flowing, everyone will be having a great time!

Choosing the Wine

If you want to host a wine tasting, the first thing you need to do is choose the wine.

There are couple ways to do this:

Choose one varietal (sauvignon blanc or cabernet, for example) and purchase a few bottles of that varietal from different producers. Then, compare and contrast the wines against each other.
Choose a number of different varietals. You could select all whites, all reds, or a mix. Then, taste the wines individually and try to guess the varietal and other distinguishing characteristics.

For my party is chose two different Chardonnays from the same producer. One was from California and the other from Australia, and they each had distinct characteristics.

Make sure to purchase enough wine for everyone to have a small sample, plus extra so they can enjoy more once the tasting part of the party is over.

Cover the Wine Bottles with a Fun Label

At a blind tasting, you don't want your guests to get any clues from the bottle itself, so cover it up! I created a fun bottle label that you can download at the end of this post.

To use the labels, cut them out, leaving the extra white part on the end of the label (that way you'll have enough length to wrap around your bottle). Then, add numbers with a marker to help your guests keep track of which bottle is which. Attach the labels to the bottles with a little transparent tape.

You could also create custom blind wine tasting labels with scrapbook or other decorative paper. See how I did that here.

If you're using a mix of reds and whites, you may want to cover the whole bottle. You can use paper bags for this, if you want to keep things simple. I've also linked up fun option for numbered bags below.

Tasting the Wines

Are you ready to start tasting? These tips will keep your tasting organized:

Pour just enough wine for a few sips, not a full glass.
Sample the lightest wines first and the heaviest wines last. Move from whites to reds, and sample dessert wines, like port, at the end. (Keep things simple and number your bottles accordingly.)
Have your guests try the wines one at a time.
As your guests sample the wine, have them fill out the blind wine tasting score card (download the free printable at the end of the list post).
Offer plain crackers so guests can clear their palates between tastings.
Serve water along with the wines, to keep everyone hydrated.
Provide a spittoon (or similar vessel) for guests to discard any wine they don't want to finish.

Things to consider as you sample the wines:

Try to identify different flavor notes from each wine.
See if you can guess where each wine is from (country or region).
Ask your guests which wine is their favorite (and why).
Try sampling the wine with different foods or cheeses. Which combinations taste better together?

Revealing the Wines

After everyone has tasted everything, you can remove the bottle labels and reveal the wines. Was everyone on the right track with their tasting conclusions?

Remember, this is all for fun, so don’t take it too seriously. Everyone has different preferences, and you are sure to have a laugh or two as everyone starts talking in wine speak!

Food and Wine Pairing Ideas

It isn't a party without food, and you'll want to balance out all the booze with plenty of snacks.

Once everyone's tasted all the wines, they'll probably want another glass of their favorites. This is a great time to serve some delicious food!

Try one of these crowd-pleasing recipe ideas:

Wine Tasting Party Supplies

Look for more creative wine tasting ideas?

Take your party to the next level with these fun wine tasting supplies!

Sip Sip Hooray Banner - Such a cute and easy way to add a little wine-themed decor to your party.
Wine Photo Booth Props - Add a little extra pop to your party pics with these fun photo booth props!
Wine Glasses - Need extra wine glasses for your party? Check out these affordable wine glasses. Want something higher quality? Get these crystal wine glasses instead.
Crackers - Help your guests clear their palettes in between tastings with plain crackers.
Wine Glass Markers - These clever, washable markers are a simple way to help your guests keep track of the glass.
The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert - Up your wine tasting game with this fun book!
Wine Tasting Bags - Hide wine labels with these blind wine tasting bags.
Wine Wars Game - Test your guest's wine knowledge with a fun game!

Free Printables

I created a set of bottle labels, wine tasting score cards, and invitations to help you throw a fun bash!

To download the files, click anywhere on the images below (except the Share button). For best results, print the files at full-size on card stock paper.