The summer entertaining season is winding down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze one last get together. I’ll take any excuse to get girlfriends together for much needed mama time. You know it’s going to get sparse as we get into fall. So I recently gathered some of my fave bloggers for a little rosé tasting party! It combined all of my loves – designing a gorgeous table, trading blogger (and mama!) tips and sipping on lots of yummy wine of course.

To set a stunning scene, I created a relaxed, slightly boho vibe. A simple linen tablecloth, stemless wine glasses and charcuterie boards a plenty.

I decided to set this gathering up as a blind rosé tasting. That means you don’t know anything about what you’re drinking. Being a long-time wine geek, I love the process of tasting wine, describing it, comparing one to another and really thinking about what you like or don’t like. It’s a really fun exercise and quite educational if you’re a wine novice. While rosé is often referred to as the pink water of summer, there are actually very good rosés out there. You just have to know what you’re looking for.

             

shop the post: glass plates / notebooks / wine glasses / marble cheese boards / wood cutting boards / glass wine decanter / table throw

Throughout lunch, we sipped on each wine, talking about the flavor profile (fruity or earthy?), how heavy or light the mouth feel felt, how it paired with the food, and debated which wine we thought was the cheapest and which the most expensive. Conversation may have also frequently wandered to toddler tantrums and what the heck is up with the dang Instagram algorithm these days, but we tried to stay focused on the task at hand! Upon the final reveal, we discovered everyone actually liked the mid-tier, $16 bottle of rosé from California best.

All in all, the party was a total success. I was able to design a unique, personally meaningful way to bring friends together. The setting and the fun little activity made what would have otherwise been just any old lunch, feel a little more extraordinary. But in the end, the afternoon wasn’t really about the wine.  It was about the company, the conversation – the bringing together of friends that we’ll all remember.

for more end of summer entertaining ideas, CLICK HERE.

original photography for apartment 34 by stephanie russo, florals by lambert studio