The wine tasting party

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Permalink

I was recently contacted by the good people at Wine Selectors to try a selection of wines they have on offer… and naturally I decided I shouldn’t insult them by refusing such a kind gesture! 😉

Wine Selectors is Australia’s largest direct marketer of wine, offering a range of red wine and white wine for delivery. It’s handy if the nearest decent liquor barn is a bit of a distance as it’s delivered to your door… better still there are a range of mixed selections which means you get to try new wines as recommended by people who know what they’re talking about (rather than the 18yr old at the local bottle shop). My Aussie readers may also have seen Wine Selectors kiosks at some airports around the country.

wine tasting

Receiving this random selection of wines (the Searing Sensations mixed 6-pack, which I’m now sharing with friends – and yes… this has made me very popular), reminded me of one of the few ‘parties’ I’ve been to over recent years.

Incidentally… why don’t people have ‘parties’ any more? No one I know seems to, though perhaps it’s the company I keep?!

Anyhoo, this friend hosted a BYO wine party with a difference. Not only were you required to bring a bottle of wine but you also had to bring an accompanying story!

Once there we were all given tasting glasses along with paper and pens so we could take notes… kind of like speed dating. But we were being wooed by wine, not baggage-laden men and women (or perhaps that’s just my experience).

It was – I have to say – an AMAZING evening. I went with a girlfriend and though we knew no one other than the host, it didn’t matter. It was impossible to huddle with only those you knew cos we all took part in the whole evening. While we had time after each ‘story’ to mull over the wine in question (take loo breaks, eat and chat), the night itself was essentially all about the wine. And the stories behind it.

wine-tasting

We got to taste wine from a myriad of different countries. People told how they’d come across some obscure wine in Spain that they now bought from some equally obscure local bottle shop; wines from South Africa, discovered while on winery tours; or a dodgy wine consumed at a cafe in Melbourne during a marriage proposal. Sure, some people spoke about the clarity, aroma and body when explaining why a wine was special to them or why it was favoured, but for others it was about the memory attached to it.

I left with several new fave wines jotted down on my trusty piece of paper. Of course, I lost the list somewhere between the party and my place… but that’s a whole other story.

Does the wine party sound like something you’d try?
Do you ever have wine delivered or order random selections of mixed wines?

Disclaimer: I received a mixed half dozen from Wine Selectors to test the experience; but my thoughts, opinions and words here are my own.

I’m again linking with Jess and the IBOT team today.

22 Comments
  • Char
    March 4, 2014

    Definitely not my cup of tea. I’m not into wine and all my notes would say is ‘yuck!’ for every single one.

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      Oh… perhaps a tea-tasting party then? 🙂

  • Jo Tracey
    March 4, 2014

    I love the sound of this…as an aside, we subscribe quarterly to wine selectors…& have done for a while now. as an aside, the mag that comes in the box is great too!

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      Oh good to hear. I must subscribe! I trawled the site and it’s interesting – info about ‘tasters’ and producers etc.

  • Twitchy
    March 4, 2014

    I love the taste of red wine but anything more than a taste and bam, allergy face city! I’m mainly a vodka girl but I’ve really come to enjoy a glass of Prosecco lately. #teamIBOT

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      I’m not a fan of the Prosecco but tried a Yellowglen one at a festival last year and enjoyed it. It’s the sort of thing I’d have to order online as (bizarrely) it’s not available locally (even at the big liquour barn!)

  • Jody at Six Little Hearts
    March 4, 2014

    I am a sparkling girl but I’d never say no to a box of wines on my doorstep! Lucky you – I’ll bet you were very popular for a while there!

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      Oh, I’m a sparkling fan as well Jody. Champers and red wine are my faves (though you could probably assume my love of champers from my banner!)

      😉

  • Bec @ The Plumbette
    March 4, 2014

    I have to be careful drinking wine because it actually puts me to sleep. Literally and even on a full stomach! So if I do choose to have a drink it will be a champagne or sweet wine like Moscato and I will only have half a glass, because I figure, I want to enjoy the company of those I’m with, not looking at my iphone on an appropriate time to leave so I can go to bed!
    The wine tasting party sounds like it was fun though and I love hearing about other people’s stories.

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      I wish wine made me sleepy… alas…

      And yes, the stories were interesting though I don’t remember a huge amount about them now. Many were about holidays and travels!

  • @Kanga_Rue
    March 4, 2014

    Love the idea of the wine tasting party, great premise. Are you offering to throw one? 😉

    Definitely a red & bubbles girl, though I also enjoy the occasional glass of white. I’ve been thinking about “stickies” lately, though there rarely seems the occasion in the Queensland heat – much more likely in my old haunts of London.

    Rx

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      Ummm…. what are ‘stickies’? Perhaps I need to google it?

  • Eleise @ A Very Blended Family
    March 4, 2014

    We used to have wine tasting nights with the girls when I lived in a village in England. We all bought a bottle and tasted or…. drank our way through them. SO much fun!!! Sounds like you had a good time!

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      Eleise, that does sound like fun. In fact some of my fave wines were discovered through friends!

  • Jess
    March 4, 2014

    I used to love wine when I was working pre kids. We had many work parties and functions where drinking wine was expected (or at least I drank it like it was). I almost never drink now I have kids, but I wouldn’t say no to a box of selected wines!

    • Debbish
      March 4, 2014

      It’s actually been good as I’m trying different wines. I am indeed a creature of habit and tend to actually drink the same stuff ALL OF THE TIME!

  • Tegan
    March 4, 2014

    None of my friends seem to have parties anymore either..although maybe that is because we all have small children and trying to find a night that suits everyone is like a military operation. This party sounds fun, although I think I would prefer it with different spirits instead of wine!

    • Debbish
      March 5, 2014

      There’s actually a liqueur tasting restaurant that’s opened up nearby and a friend is keen to try it. I don’t drink spirits so am less-keen but am sure we’ll get there soon.

  • Alicia
    March 4, 2014

    I like the sound of that sort of wine tasting party. I haven’t been to any sort of party for ages, except for birthday parties of the under 5s.

    • Debbish
      March 5, 2014

      No, that’s the only one I can recall in the last decade or two!!!

  • EssentiallyJess
    March 6, 2014

    I would love to have a wine tasting party!
    A friend of mine was always saying how she wanted to have a ‘clean skin’ party. Get some clean skin wines, and other more expensive brands and remove the labels so no one knew, and see which was better. I really like that idea 🙂

    • Debbish
      March 6, 2014

      Oh yes, I’ve heard of people covering the labels and doing something similar!

I'd love to hear your thoughts