Blind Wine Tasting

We've got the perfect activity for your Summer get-togethers: blind wine tasting!

If you think you know what wines you like and which wines you dislike, then a blind tasting might be just the surprise you need. Like it or not, we all have preconceived notions about certain wines. For instance, if you spend $200 on a bottle of wine, then it’s good. Or, you might believe that you dislike every Merlot. You might never even try certain wines because you’ve fallen into a comfort zone of what you know and like.

A blind tasting is a great way to break out of habits and really uncover what you enjoy. Invite a group of friends over and instruct everyone to bring a bottle of wine in a brown bag. Everyone opens their own bottle. I find it fun if they decant their bottle into containers you have available. (Drink pitchers make excellent decanters for this.) Then, let everyone simply enjoy tastes of wines from the various containers at their leisure. State ahead of time the timeframe for unveiling the wines so that everyone can pace themselves appropriately. You can also have disposable paper cups on hand for everyone to use as their personal “spit cup” so that they don’t feel compelled to drink too much.

Before unveiling the wines, get everyone to commit to their favorite and least favorite of the bunch and ask them why. Then, reveal the wines and watch everyone’s jaw drop when their favorite wine is the variety that they swore they would never drink (think about the Merlot scene from "Sideways"), or when the $5 bottle beats out all the higher-priced offerings that people brought to the table.

The point is that it's fun, and you and your friends might learn a little more about your own palates when you take away price tags and labels.

– Andy Chabot, Director of Food and Beverage