Guide to the Family Wine Tasting

 

If you're looking for a fun, adult activity for this coming holiday, look no further!!

Every holiday the Jordan girls get together and host a beverage tasting... Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day... We make time to gather 'round for a friendly drinking competition. 

We typically choose wine, but we did a Mexican Lager Beer tasting at the beach over Easter that was SO fun, and surprisingly difficult!! Check out the Instagram video.

 

 

Here's an easy how-to guide for hosting your next family wine tasting!

 

What you'll need:

• 4-5 bottle of wine of the same variety and region
• 4-5 brown paper wine bags (or something similar to cover each bottle)
• Tape
• Wine bottle opener/corkscrew
  
• Scrap paper, pen, water glass, and then 4-5 cups/wine glasses per participant 
• Dump bucket (a pitcher)
• Sharpie

 

Instructions:

Prior to the tasting:

1. Select your type, variety and region. 
   1. This past Thanksgiving, we chose, "Red wine, Zinfandel, Northern California."
2. Select 4-5 bottles of wine in these categories.
   1. One should bottle should be <$10, $11-30, $30-75, and another $75+
   2. It's important that the varietal and region are the same (no blends!). This helps level the playing field (the best one can). 
   3. Stay away from fan-favorites. For example, my husband Coble loves Bonanza and Caymus, so I knew he would know those when he tasted them!
   4. Visit your local bottle shop and ask the manager for their recs! Explain the game, they will be HYPE to help you choose! 

A few hours before the tasting: 

1. Open each bottle of wine with a corkscrew, allow the wine to breathe. 
2. Cover each bottle up to the bottle's neck in the brown wine bag.
   1. Any bag will do, as long as you can't see the label.
   2. Use tape to secure the bag on the bottle.
3. Have another helper label each brown bottle with a Sharpie numbers 1 through 5.
   1. These keeps the wines a surprise for both helpers

 

During the tasting: 

1. Give each participant a piece of paper, a pen, and 4-5 cups/wine glasses each.
2. Have each participant write the following column headers across the top of the page: Price point, flavors, rank, notes.
3. Pour each participant a 1 oz pour of the first wine into their glass. 
   1. To move along the tasting, give each participant 30 seconds - 1 minute to taste, write down notes, and dump any extra wine into the dump bucket 
   2. If it's a competition, keep notes to yourself! However, my family usually gets very chatty, sharing exactly what's on their minds aloud for all to hear :)
4. After the last wine is poured, have participants reveal which was their favorite, which they thought was the most expensive, and any other information they gathered.
5. Lastly, reveal each wine, 1-5 and share price point and other features. 
   1. Coble loves to use his Vivino app to take a picture of the label and find more info on the wines like where to buy them, the winery's legacy etc.

 

 

 

Let us know what you think!!

 

 

Stay Cheesin!

Becca