Wine game nights are an increasingly popular evolution of the dinner party concept enjoyed by people from all walks of life. While there is a long history of people playing games at dinner parties dating back centuries, the new spin on the concept leverages the wide availability and broad range of both game and wine styles. If you have the space, games, and wine, you can host a wine game night in your home.
Wine Party Games Create Focus for Your Dinner Party
There’s no one right way to run a dinner party, thanks to a wealth of wide-ranging wine game night ideas that complement the immense range of wines available, especially if you are part of the Sweet Wine Club. The heart and soul of a wine game night lies in how the concept sets the entertainment theme and keeps that theme in focus, because wine party games are active-participant activities. Games are an excellent way to keep a group entertained for three to five hours, which, coincidentally, is a great duration for a wine-tasting gathering. Most game boxes mention how long a game takes to play, which is a great tool for setting an itinerary for your party.
Additionally, combining games and wine sets two discussion topics that are easy to intermingle: the game itself and the variety of wines your party guests are sharing. The concept provides a straightforward conversation topic that keeps the party focused and prevents the dreaded “dead air” from taking over. It also works great for including people who aren’t fans of small talk and gossip. Games also require active engagement, unlike watching a movie or sporting event, which really helps keep the party focused. Wine trivia is always fun:
Q: Approximately how many grapes go into a bottle of wine?
A: 600-800”
Q: Who is the patron saint of winemakers?
A: Saint Vincent
Q: Does red wine become darker or lighter over time?
A: Lighter.
Anyone can look up online wine questions to match the wines available, including the temperature at which the wine should be kept to best appreciate its subtle, complex flavors. White wine 45°F and 50°F, full-bodied reds at 63°F to 68°F, rosé at 45°F to 55°F, and port and sherry should be kept at 55°F to 65°F.
Other potential games can be wine charades, where you act out wine-related phrases like “corked wine”, or wine pictionary. You can find wine games online, just type it up, and the choices seem without limits, including Wine-Opoly and Wine-O bingo.
Wine Game Night Ideas: Build Community
One of the wine game night’s greatest strengths is how it fosters a low-pressure social environment for people who aren’t the most sociable. There’s a reason your workplace may fall back on the often dreaded “ice breaker games” concept meant to break through social tension by creating a comfortable, safe discussion that anyone can join. When it comes to board, card, and other games, they really are “just a game,” meaning they’re low-stakes conflicts that can spark conversation. Additionally, games are a centuries-old tradition that bridges generations: younger players may gravitate to the latest online game, but older, proven games like chess have been around for more than 1,500 years and sustain their appeal across time.
As Versatile as a Wine Cellar
With tens of thousands of wine options and hundreds of thousands of wine party game options, both wine and games are driven by innovation and new ideas. This means that if a game or wine isn’t working, your party can pivot to the other. Therefore, like a well-stocked wine selection, it’s helpful to keep a wide range of games on hand, including board games, card games, team-based games, free-for-all games, group mystery games, brain-teasers, trivia, and even jigsaw puzzles, to accommodate your guests’ preferences. So if you’re hosting, offer a range of options. The expression that if someone says they don’t like wine, they just haven’t tried enough different kinds, also applies to games. The majority of games support a specific number of players, and wine game nights are better suited to parties of three to eight people if you want to avoid splitting up into multiple groups.
On the refreshments side, it’s a good idea to offer food and a range of wines like the San Antonio® Specialty, Grape Red. Play it safe by having more wine options on hand than you intend to drink. To cover a range of tastes, you should have at least two whites and two reds on hand, and increase the count based on the number of guests. It’s also helpful to keep a few mocktails and other non-alcoholic beverages on hand for guests who don’t drink or want only one glass. At Sweet Wine Club, you can get non-alcoholic wines like Stella Rosa Naturals Blueberry. You can also ask guests to bring a bottle of wine of their own to contribute to the conversation.
Wine game nights are versatile entertainment experiences that set the tone for a focused, community-based evening anyone can enjoy.