Nothing can compete with good company and great wine! The difficult part is combining these elements with a memorable party. No worries – we’ve got you covered 🙂 

Host your own Blind Wine Tasting Party

A Blind Wine Tasting Party is very entertaining and educational in the same sense. It’s the perfect excuse to learn more about wine by a manner of tasting. This is a relaxed, no need for a know-it-all-wine-connoisseur type party that you can do in the comfort of your own home. It is really easy to organise and you don’t need a lot of supplies.

What you would need to buy:

• Wine (At least 5 different types of wines)
• Brown paper bags or foil (you can buy these at your local homeware store)
• Wine tags or a marker to number the wines
• Wine glasses for the tasting (black glasses work even better, hiding the color of the wine)
• Spittoon or any ice bucket (nothing fancy, this allow your guests to empty their glass if they really don’t feel like finishing the wine)
• Water pitcher
• Light snacks (nothing too salty or spicy to throw off your palate)
• Cheeses:
  • Soft – Fairview Chevin (Goat’s Cheese)
  • Soft & Bloomy – Camembert or Brie (@PicknPay)
  • Sharp – Parmalat Vintage Cheddar
  • Hard & Nutty – Aged Gouda
  • Stinky & Pungent – Blue Cheese

The Wines

Your wine selection for the tasting must be versatile. From full-bodied red wines to crisp white wines and don’t forget a light rosé. We’ve dotted down a few suggestions:

• Red Wines: There are many red wines, including some blends that will take you on a richly flavored journey of fruit, berries, clove, cinnamon, coffee and even cocoa. Make sure to have a Pinotage, Merlot and perhaps a Shiraz somewhere in the mix. You should definitely include a Malbec — we would advise you to get a bottle of Jonathan’s Malbec, part of the Le Pommier wine range — it delivers perfumed notes on the nose and give way to rich mulberry and dark cherry tones on the palate.
• White Wines: White wine delivers tastes of citrus, fruit (think apple or pear), tropical (melon or pineapple), honey and grass — to name just a few. You need to get a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and even a Semillon. Le Pommier has a perfectly balanced blend,  Sauvignon Blanc. The nose reminds one of orange peel and honeysuckle, with a toasty sweetness from the touch of old French oak and lees contact complements the smooth and creamy texture.
• Rosé Wines: The primary flavors of rosé wine are red fruit, flowers, citrus, and melon, with a pleasant crunchy green flavor on the finish similar to celery or rhubarb. Known as a refreshing summer drink and not necessarily sweet. Try the Le Pommier Rosé, the wine shows red currant and tropical fruit that follows through on the palate, all balanced by good acidity.

Yes! And then…

Wrap the bottles in brown paper/bags/foil, number the bottles with either a tag or write a number on the bag and serve the different wines in wine glasses. The main idea is to let your guests guess the grape variety and for bonus points they need to determine the value of the wine, ranked from most to least expensive or where the wine comes from. Be ready for lots of fun and entertaining feedback, you may even learn something new in the process!

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