How to Host a Blind Wine Tasting Party

A blind wine tasting removes all labels and preconceptions, letting your palate be the only judge. Each bottle is covered or bagged and assigned a random code so that nobody knows who brought what until the big reveal.

This format eliminates bias from price tags, fancy labels, and “that wine my friend always recommends.” The result? Honest opinions and often surprising winners. Budget bottles frequently beat premium ones when taste is the only factor.

Campfire Vote makes running a blind tasting effortless. Guests vote anonymously using blind codes, and the app handles all the ranking math so that you can focus on enjoying the wines.

Prefer pen and paper? Download our free printable scorecard to run your tasting the old-fashioned way.

Before the Party

1. Create your party in Campfire Vote — Log in as host and start a new Blind Wine Tasting party. Only you pay — guests join for free! You'll get a unique party code (and QR code) to share.
2. Send invitations with guidelines — Tell guests the price range, whether to bring a specific varietal, red, white, or anything, and share the party code. We like to use partiful.com for easy RSVPs.
3. Prepare your supplies — Have bags, labels, and a marker ready. Set up a staging area away from guests.

Party Kick Off

1. Guests log in to Campfire Vote — Have each guest join your party using the party code. They'll enter their name and wine details (which only you can see until the reveal).
2. Collect and bag wines privately — As guests arrive, take their bottles out of sight. Bag each one and write its blind code on the bag. Codes are given to you in the Campfire Vote Host Dashboard.
3. Double-check wine registration in the app — As host, verify each wine is registered in Campfire Vote with its real name. Only you see this info until the reveal.

During the Tasting

1. Pour and taste together — Announce each blind code as you pour. Give everyone time to taste, discuss, and take notes.
2. Vote in the app — After tasting all wines, guests rank them from favorite to least favorite using the app. They can vote on their own wine since they don't know which one it is!

The Big Reveal

1. Move to results phase — Once everyone has voted, advance the party to reveal mode.
2. Watch the rankings appear — Campfire Vote calculates and shows final rankings with blind codes transforming into actual wine names.
3. Celebrate and discuss — Unveil each bottle, congratulate the winner, and enjoy the conversations about expectations vs. reality.

• •Serve wines at proper temperature — Whites chilled (45-50°F), reds slightly below room temp (60-65°F). Temperature dramatically affects taste.
• •Provide palate cleansers — Plain crackers, bread, or water help reset taste buds between wines.
• •Have a meal intermission — Serve a simple meal to refresh the palate and keep energy up.
• •Keep it fun, not formal — This isn't a sommelier exam. Encourage honest opinions like “tastes like grape juice” alongside wine-speak.