Creating an At-Home, Family Friendly Wine Tasting

Creating an At-Home, Family Friendly Wine Tasting

Scheduling and planning events and wine tastings with kids in tow can sometimes be overwhelming but you don’t have to travel all the way to Napa or venture out to a winery to enjoy a wine tasting experience.  With a little creativity and some minimal planning, you can bring Napa’s vineyard vibes to your own backyard (or even your living room on these chilly days) and make it fun for the whole family. Here’s how we turned a regular weekend into a mini at home wine tasting experience, without leaving home!

1. Create the Scene: We love being outdoors so when the weather’s nice we love to grab a couple bottles of wine, our favorite snacks and head to the backyard. With our favorite music playing in the background, some delicious bites, and the kids' favorite outdoor games, we set up the backyard for our at-home wine tasting experience. This can be done anywhere in your home…the key is to make it fun for everyone!

2. Kid-Friendly Fun: Keeping the kids entertained is key, and with a few engaging and fun activities, they’ll be as excited as you are to participate.

• Outdoor Games: Our go-to games are bean bag toss, golf toss or a fun game of eye spy, but if you’re feeling extra creative, you could set up a mock grape-stomping station. During the warmer months fill a small tub with water balloons or soft balls (tell the kids to pretend these are grapes) and let the kids have a blast stomping and squishing. It’s a super fun way to mimic traditional grape stomping and I promise will evoke lots of laughs. Parenting suggestion: set a timer for each kiddo’s stomping experience so everyone gets an equal turn ;)
• Coloring: If you are feeling extra creative, print out vineyard-themed coloring pages or challenge the kids to design their own vineyard masterpiece. Our kids love coloring so another fun activity is to have them decorate their own sticker labels and let them tap into their creativity…maybe you have a future winemaker on your hands.
• Kid-Friendly Tasting: Let the little ones join in on the fun with their own food or drink tasting. Pour sparkling juice (our kids love Martinelli’s) or lemonade in fancy glasses and create a spread of snacks for them to pair with and toast alongside you.  Our kids love creating their own charcuterie boards and snacking on salami (look up how to create a salami rose…this is our daughter's favorite things to create for her charcuterie board), cheddar cheese wedges and caramel popcorn.

3. Wine Tasting for the Parents: Pick 2-3 wines that bring a taste of Napa to your home. Here are some favorites that we’ve enjoyed:

• Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs: A dry, crisp sparkling wine, perfect for toasting to a relaxing day!
• Clif Family Rte Blanc: A refreshing white wine that is perfect for a sunny afternoon.
• Hess Cabernet: A rich, full-bodied red with deep flavors. Great for unwinding while the kids are busy with their creative projects or grape-stomping fun.

4. Perfect Pairings: No wine tasting is complete without snacks! Create your own charcuterie spread and keep it simple with tasty bites like Vella cheese, salami, Rustic Bakery crackers, Napa Nuts, and a K&M Chocolate Bar. The best part about these snacks is that they are easy to prepare, leaving you more time to enjoy the moment.

5. Time to Enjoy: Now that everything’s set up, it’s time to really tap into the fun. Between the kids showing off their grape-themed artwork, stomping grapes, playing games, or enjoying their own special drinks, you can still steal a few minutes of relaxation. The best part of this DIY wine tasting is that you get to blend family fun with some well-deserved grown-up indulgence.

Please share your DIY at-home wine tastings with us.