15+ years of Experience
Here are California Wine Blending we offer a variety of different blending events to handle all different events and services.
Different Events
Classic Wine Blending
- Guests arrive and sit at tables where party host has them assigned. Size of group will determine how many people sit at a table. Set up can be classroom style, or with tables of five or six for a group of 30.
- Once they are seated, I, owner Phil McKenney, will give a short talk on varietals and blending as well as an overview of what the participants will be during over the course of the blending. Participants view a two-minute video which describes the joy of wine-blending and features Steven Kent, owner of his namesake winery, who takes them through the process of winemaking and wine-blending. I then discuss how wines are made, the characteristics of grape varietals and the art of blending grapes. I try to make everyone feel like they are a winemaker for the day and they get to do what actual winemakers do.
- The next step for participants is to taste through the single varietals on their own, then start blending different grapes. On the table, there are graduated cylinders and beakers filled with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc ready for them to start making test blends. They can work in groups at their table or individually to put together their blends.
- Once each person has determined their individual blend, they write down their proportions and name. My staff and I bottle their blend, and affix the label which the host and I designed before the party. We work with the host to create the label a week or earlier before the event. Each person will take home the bottle that they blended after the event is over. Bottles have the label on front and also a back label which specifies percentages of each grape, so they remember what they made. This is the keepsake of the event and each person goes home feeling as though they were the winemaker for a day.
- That is a snap shot of event. Event like this takes place in about 90 minutes and can be shortened or lengthened depending on party timeline. Each guest goes home with their own bottle with label designed in conjunction with or by the host. A memorable party favor!
Team-Building Event
- Guests sit at tables with the team they were assigned by the host. Size of teams will depend on how many total guests participating, but typically teams range from 7-10 people.
- Once they are seated, I, owner Phil McKenney, will give a short talk on varietals and blending as well as an overview of what the participants will be during over the course of the blending. Participants view a two-minute video which describes the joy of wine-blending and features Steven Kent, owner of his namesake winery, who takes them through the process of winemaking and wine-blending.
- I then discuss how wines are made, the characteristics of grape varietals and the art of blending grapes. I try to make everyone feel like they are a winemaker for the day and they get to do what actual winemakers do.
- From there, I guide guests by telling them that their job is to design the label for their wine, and to decide with their teammates what the final blend of their wine will be. Participants taste the single varietals one by one, then start blending different grapes.
- There are graduated cylinders and beakers filled with cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc on the table for them to start making test blends at their tables. They work as a group to put together their blends, and also to design their labels. I supply pens, blank white labels and any additional supplements requested by the host for participants to use to design their label for their team bottle to be judged.
- Once teams have decided on their wine blend to be judged, they give me their varietal proportions and my staff and I bottle their blend and affix their label. Their bottles are judged as a team, and the judging is typically based on the label and the way the wine tastes though the host may request other criteria. For instance, a group may decide to do a “commercial” to sell their wine. Prizes are optional and provided by the host.
- Typically, the team-building wine-blending party takes about 90 minutes. After each team is done with their bottles, judging begins. Judges often include the resort’s head sommelier and a team of wine professionals. Hosts have several options as to which teams or if all participants take home the winning wine or their own team’s wine.
CAWB Cocktail Party
- The CAWB Cocktail Party style takes everything from our sit down classroom style workshops, and brings this experience to your cocktail party.
- Basically, what happens in the cocktail party is that we set up rectangular tables, usually 8ft banquet tables, and set them up in a space that is suitable in the area where the party will be held. We set up as many tables as we will need for the party and this relates to how many people will be in the cocktail party.
- When guests are ready to go through the workshop, they will walk up to our tables and my staff will take them through the exercise. Guests get to taste 100% pure varietal cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. My staff pours the wine for them and tells them about each varietal and answers any questions that they might have.
- At this point, after the guest has tasted the three individual varietals by themselves, then my staff will begin to make “test blends,” combining the percentage of each varietal that the guest wants, to make a blend that the guest gets to try. My staff makes the blend for them and then tastes the guest on the blend that they created.
- After trying some different blends then the guest will determine the blend that they want in their wine. Once they find the percentages of each grape they want in their blend my staff will take their name down and will bottle, cap, cork, and put a customized label on the bottle for them to take home.
- In the cocktail party, guests can come up whenever they are ready to go through the exercise. I have plenty of staff behind the tables so if 20 people are at the tables at one time, we can take care of all of them.