Setting Up a Successful Blind Wine Tasting Event

There is nothing like an evening at home with friends and one good way to make the party truly memorable is to have a wine tasting. You do not need to have a very elaborate set-up, and if it is your first attempt at having one, then it might be a good idea to start small, just until you get the feel of it and how it works. If you are a regular wine drinker, and have hosted wine tasting events in the past, then you may want to look for a new twist on the tried and tested, and one way to do that is with a blind wine tasting.

The set-up for a blind tasting event and the only real difference is in what you do with the wines that you are presenting, which we will get to in a moment. The items that every wine tasting event should have start with plenty of water and soft drinks for the guests, as well as snacks like crackers and mild cheeses, as well as other food items that will help cleanse the palate between each wine. You will also want to make sure that there are buckets where the guests can spit out wines that are not to their tastes. Do not be alarmed if this is your first attempt at hosting a wine tasting, as the spitting out is actually a common practice. You can offer a bucket or a spittoon, which is the official piece of accessory used in tasting events.

If you are offering wines that are of different types of taste for tasting, then it's best to start with the white wines first, before moving on to lighter reds, and finishing up with the boldest of the red wines. It is also a good idea to have paper and pens available for your guests so that they can take notes on all the wines they taste. You can then all compare your thoughts and feelings about each one, keeping in mind that everyone has a different palate. This means that others in the group should never judge any one else's opinion, even if it wildly differs from the rest of the group. A wine tasting event is usually set up as a relaxed event where everyone feels comfortable.

When it comes to a blind wine tasting, you should remove all labels or marking from the bottles, and then assign them a number. You can buy special bottle covers that cover each bottle so that you are unable to see the wine. Paper and pencils are essential for this sort of tasting, as it becomes a little more difficult to remember which wine is which, and taking notes will really help. There is a great opportunity to have fun with a blind wine tasting, and you can actually make a number of games out of the event. It could be as simple as giving points to those who correctly guess the type of wine being served, or even throwing in a couple of cheap wines, and seeing if your guests can spot the difference. Again, this should be fun. So, now that you know what is involved, why not organize a wine tasting today.