1. 6-12 people is the best for wine tasting. This way you only need one bottle per wine.
2. Arrange the wine tasting so they are trying whites to red. From sweet to dry – light-bodied to full-bodied.
3. Ask your guests not to wear perfumes or smoke.
4. Bag or cover the bottles so they cannot been seen.
5. Prepare a tasting note guide and answer sheet for your guests.
6. Make sure you have crackers and a cheese platter, or some type of finger food.
7. Supply plenty of water to drink between tastings.
8. Use wine glasses, not paper or plastic.

Now you’ll have to decide what kind of blind tasting you would like to do. A Single-blind wine tasting is one varietal ie: Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir.  The bottle should be covered, but you can see the wine in your glass.

A Double-blind wine tasting is where your guests will not know anything about the wine and they have to list its Varietal, Country and sometimes region.

And yes, there’s even a Triple-blind tasting where your guests are actually blind-folded and know absolutely nothing about the wine.

This will help you get started along hosting your own blind tasting at home with friends and loved ones, but the most important rule not to forget, is to just have fun!

So the question is; Rose Champagne, Brut Champagne or Sparkling Wine? Rose Champagne and sparkling wine is one of the number one wines to pair with breakfast foods, both “demi-sec”, which means slightly sweet, or “brut”, which means dry.

Lobster, shrimp, bacon and bagels with lox are just a few of the many foods that pair very well with the pink bubbles.

Waffles, crepes, pancakes, cheese, fruit and other slightly sweet brunch foods pairs well with the demi-sec Champagnes.

Egg dishes like poached eggs, scrambled eggs, omelets, frittata and eggs Benedict would pair well with a French bubbly called Cremant de Alsace, this bubbly comes from Alsace in France, near the German border. It is made with Chardonnay & Pinot Noir (Pinot Blanc grapes). Or you can use a more budget friendly Sparkling Wine will pair very nicely.

Let’s not forget dessert; pastries, roasted pears, warm apple pie, cheese cake, cobblers, custards, strudels and French toast drizzled in syrup and whipped cream. I think of Moscato di Asti or an Iced Wine a German wine Eiswein. Drizzle the Iced Wine on vanilla ice cream or skip the syrup and use on the French Toast.

The options are endless that is why I love brunch with wine. What type of foods and wine do you have on your Easter table?

The Zinfandels’ were from Lodi, Sonoma, Paso Robles and Napa regions all from California, but each region brings a unique character and style.

Tasting them blind was a challenge to try to match the wines to the regions they came from. Even though we had tasting notes for each of the 6 wines it was very difficult to match up the wine to the notes.

Even in a blind tasting my favorite wine was a Old Vine Zinfandel. My second choice was from the same winery both wines are a big wine aged in American Oak. So the common thread for me is that I like the big, rich, lush, old vine zin’s aged in American oak.

Do you find you choose the same flavor notes within a style?

And if you ever have any you don’t see and would like to share, just send us an email at customerservice@winemonthclub.com!