Published on June 7, 2018 | Last Updated on June 7, 2018

You might have seen in my stories this spring when Trent went to Vegas for March Madness, I went to a blind rosé tasting party with my girlfriends. We had so much fun and I wanted to share with you how to throw a similar party for your gal pals! Rosé is nicknamed summer water so now’s the time to find a favorite to sip on for the next few months!

Rosé has always been one of my drinks of choice, but I get in ruts picking up the same brands at the store. This is a great way to bring some friends together to try a few different brands and truly decide which ones you like without being skewed by the label. 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Before you throw one of these parties, you are going to need to get a few items that you can easily get from a craft store or order off Amazon.

• Black or gold wine glasses

• Cooling Pour Spout

• Tasting notes template

• Linen wine bags

• Paint sponges and brushes

• Plenty of bites to snack on- see below recipe ideas

• The star of the show: rosé wines!

DIY STAMPED WINE BAGS

If you prefer not to DIY, you can use simple brown paper bags to cover up the bottles. But personally I love how the bags double as decor when they’re arranged on the table! I used various shaped stamps with colorful paint to make designs that looked like confetti. You can do polka dots or whatever you choose. Have fun with it! I folded a piece of paper in half and stuck in the bag before painting so it didn’t bleed through. Allow the paint to dry for a couple hours before filling with cold rosé bottles!

HOW TO HOST THE TASTING

The reason this is a blind tasting is that many bottles and colors of the wine are recognizable which doesn’t allow you to make an unbiased decision about the wine. Most of the girls at the party would always choose Miraval when buying or ordering rosé. We were all shocked to find out we thought one of the other bottles for half the price was Miraval and we actually rated the real deal very low. 

WINE TASTING 101

You and your friends don’t have to be experts about wine like the guys on Netflix Somm, you just need to prep your friends with a few tips and get started. Just remember the 4 “S” to tasting wine – Swirl, Smell, Sip and Savor. When you pour each bottle for your friends tell them to swirl the wine in the cup, and then smell the flavors. Use your tasting notes and talk about what you smell. Do you smell berries, citrus or floral? After that, enjoy a sip of the rosé and then again discuss tasting notes. The rosé might be sweet or really dry. Remind your guests to not rush and chug the wine, but slow down and enjoy the experience. To truly “taste” the wine, you need to use as many senses as possible. When the tasting is over, everyone will have a list of the wines tasted and their thoughts so they can use to go purchase the best rose’ for them.

PICKING THE RIGHT WINES

Unlike red wine, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a great bottle. You can pick a selection of bottles in different price points. Five varieties should be enough for the tasting and depending on the size of the party, you probably want a few of each bottle to actually enjoy and drink after the blind tasting. You can easily go to your local liquor store like a Specs and they will help you pick out a great variety.

Here are the wines that we picked:

• Miraval – $20ish

• J.L. Quinson Côtes de Provence Rosé from Trader Joes – $6.99

• Kim Crawford – $12ish

• Decoy – $20

• Belle Glos Oeil de Perdrix Pinot Noir Blanc – $20

• Whispering Angel $17ish

PARTY SNACKS

• Cheese board – Ina Garten has a great how to

• Order margarita pizza from your fav pizza shop

• Burratta with crispy prosciutto and wine soaked berries (recipe below!)

RECIPE:

• Ball of burratta

• Balsamic drizzle

• Carton of Blackberries

• 1 cup of red wine of your choice (I had some leftover Merlot)

• Prosciutto

• French bread to soak

INSTRUCTIONS:

WINE SOAKED BLACKBERRIES
Let berries soak in red wine for at least 30 minutes.

CRISPY PROSCIUTTO
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Place slices of prosciutto flat on parchment paper over a baking sheet.

2. Bake about 13 minutes, or until fairly crisp.

3. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Break the prosciutto up into pieces and set aside.

To assemble the dish, put the ball of burratta in the center of the plate and spoon the berries around the cheese. Drizzle everything with balsamic then put the fresh bread slices around the edge of the plate.

PARTY FAVORS

I always love to send people home with something cute to remember the fun night by. I put together a little rosé themed takeaway with Rose’ Republic of Tea, Drip Drop to avoid feeling bad the next day and a cute rosé pouch from Packed Party!