Blind Wine Tasting Party!

Had a great party this weekend, complete with bouncy house, music, sunshine and friends. But of all the activities and conversations going on, the most entertaining part of all was the blind wine tasting. Here’s how it works:

1) Grab a few bottles of wine (I had 5 – may have been too many)
2) Brown bag the bottles & number the bags
3) Have guests taste & vote
*Great icebreaker/party starter!!

For this party, here’s my high-level breakdown:

1) 7 Deadly Zins: The sweetest of the bunch. Not impressed with aroma, but that didn’t seem to affect the flavor
2) Bogle Vineyards: Very fruit-forward. The label described blackberry, cherry and raspberry flavors which I would say was accurate. Felt this was a good representation of Zinfandel.
3) Gnarly Head: Very balanced wine. Still slightly sweet, but not overly so. Pretty smooth.
4) Harding Estate Howell Mountain: This one was much more peppery in aroma and felt drier on the palate. Distinctively different from the others and was liked mostly be the regular winos of the group.
5) Renwood Zinfandel: Most of the group was indifferent to this wine. I liked it however, but feel that this (along with Harding Estates) may taste better when paired with food. Another side note, is that the Renwood and Harding Estates both had the highest Alcohol by volume percentages (could that be why I liked them?)

Additonal Notes:
* All of these were Zinfandels
* All in the $10-$20 price range

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And the Winner is..
Gnarly Head Zinfandel ‘07
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