Wine and Game Pairings

Whether you’re spending the afternoon enjoying your favorite games in the sunshine or settling in at the table for a special game night, keeping a bottle of wine handy is a great way to relax and refresh with family and friends.

We asked a few of the sommeliers at Blackberry Farm to share their best ideas for game and wine pairings to elevate a day of play, and here’s what they had to say!

Kelly Schmidt, Assistant Director of Beverage:

Monopoly and Champagne – A man with a monocle makes you also want to feel fancy.   

Checkers and Zinfandel – Easy-drinking wine for a game you don’t have to think too hard about. 

Candy Land and Beaujolais – You know King Kandy is a sucker for carbonic maceration.

John Schlichting, Sommelier at The Barn at Blackberry Farm®:

Open a great bottle of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir before you sit down with a group for mahjong. The balance of the contemplative nose and bright palate matches the push and pull of thought and action between rounds. A bottle is perfect the perfect size for a group of four or three or two!

Kerry Fillers, Sommelier at The Barn at Blackberry Farm®:

Pickleball and Picpoul – Refreshing and unserious

Scrabble and Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Intellectualized combinations

Solitaire or Uno and Blanc de Noir/Blanc de Blanc

Tom Barszcz Sommelier at The Barn at Blackberry Farm®:

One idea is to pair a really nuanced wine with a game of Scrabble because "you're trying to find the right words to describe it." My mind went to my first experience with Horsepower Syrah. I’m blown away by that wine!

*Bonus Cocktail Pairing: Puzzles and Stave's Sazerac 

Craving a cocktail that you can sip and savor in place of wine? Inspired by the addictive fun of puzzling, Blackberry’s Assistant Director of Beverage Kelly Schmidt created Stave’s Sazerac. Get the recipe here, and find your next puzzle plus more of your favorite games at the Blackberry Farm Shop!