The Wine Voyage

Table of Contents - What Is a Wine Blending Competition? - The Science (and Art) Behind Blending - How a Wine Blending Competition Works: Step by Step - Why Wine Blending Competition Works for Teams - Setting Up Your Own Wine Blending Competition - Variations on the Wine Blending Competition Format - How The Wine Voyage Runs It - Further Reading The first time I ran a wine blending competition for a corporate group, I wasn't sure how it would go. The company was a mid-sized tech firm, the group was forty people who didn't necessarily know each other well, and the brief was vague: "do something wine-related but more interactive than a regular tasting." An hour into the blending session, I had to actually get people's attention to move on. They were nose-deep in their glasses, arguing cheerfully about whether more Malbec would soften the tannins, writing tasting notes, designing label concepts on napkins. It was the most engaged I'd ever seen a corporate group d...

Table of Contents - What Is Mezcal? - What Is Tequila? - Mezcal vs Tequila: The Core Differences - Flavor: What to Expect in Your Glass - The Geography of Agave Spirits - How to Drink Them - Pricing and Value - The Mezcal vs Tequila Experience for Groups - Further Reading The question I get more than almost any other at spirits tastings is this: what's the difference between mezcal vs tequila? People sense they're related — both come from Mexico, both come from agave — but the details stay fuzzy. Here's the honest answer: all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. It works the same way that all Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Tequila is a specific, regulated type of mezcal made from one agave variety in one region. Mezcal is the broader category — older, wilder, and far more varied. Let me break down exactly what separates them and why it matters for what you're tasting in your glass. What Is Mezcal? Mezcal is a distilled...

Table of Contents - What Is Mezcal? - What Is Tequila? - Mezcal vs Tequila: The Core Differences - Flavor: What to Expect in Your Glass - The Geography of Agave Spirits - How to Drink Them - Pricing and Value - The Mezcal vs Tequila Experience for Groups - Further Reading The question I get more than almost any other at spirits tastings is this: what's the difference between mezcal vs tequila? People sense they're related — both come from Mexico, both come from agave — but the details stay fuzzy. Here's the honest answer: all tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. It works the same way that all Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Tequila is a specific, regulated type of mezcal made from one agave variety in one region. Mezcal is the broader category — older, wilder, and far more varied. Let me break down exactly what separates them and why it matters for what you're tasting in your glass. What Is Mezcal? Mezcal is a distilled...

Table of Contents - What Makes Team Bonding Actually Work - 15 Team Bonding Ideas Worth Considering - How to Choose the Right Activity - Practical Notes on Making Any Activity Work - Bringing a Professional Experience to Your Team - Further Reading I've worked in corporate event production for fifteen years, and I've seen every version of team bonding go right and go wrong. I've watched axe-throwing events where the entire team spent two hours staring at their phones. I've watched a simple blind wine tasting turn a group of near-strangers into people who were still laughing together at midnight. The difference between a team bonding idea that works and one that doesn't usually comes down to a single question: does it give people something real to talk about? Not a prompt on a worksheet. Not a forced sharing circle. An actual shared experience with enough novelty, stakes, or surprise to generate genuine conversation. Here are the team bonding ideas I've seen work...

Table of Contents - What Makes Team Bonding Actually Work - 15 Team Bonding Ideas Worth Considering - How to Choose the Right Activity - Practical Notes on Making Any Activity Work - Bringing a Professional Experience to Your Team - Further Reading I've worked in corporate event production for fifteen years, and I've seen every version of team bonding go right and go wrong. I've watched axe-throwing events where the entire team spent two hours staring at their phones. I've watched a simple blind wine tasting turn a group of near-strangers into people who were still laughing together at midnight. The difference between a team bonding idea that works and one that doesn't usually comes down to a single question: does it give people something real to talk about? Not a prompt on a worksheet. Not a forced sharing circle. An actual shared experience with enough novelty, stakes, or surprise to generate genuine conversation. Here are the team bonding ideas I've seen work...

Table of Contents - Why Games Make Wine Tasting Better - The 10 Best Wine Tasting Games for Groups - How to Choose the Right Game for Your Group - Setting Up Wine Tasting Games for Groups: Practical Tips - Bringing It to the Corporate World - Further Reading I've hosted hundreds of wine events, and I've learned one thing for certain: the moment you turn wine into a game, everything changes. People who said they "don't know wine" are suddenly arguing passionately about whether a glass smells like blackberries or plums. Laughter fills the room. Walls come down. Wine tasting games for groups are the fastest shortcut I know to genuine connection — whether you're planning a bachelorette party, a birthday dinner, or a corporate team-building afternoon. This guide covers my ten favorites, with tips on how to run each one so it actually works. Why Games Make Wine Tasting Better Let's be honest — a standard wine tasting can feel intimidating. People worry about say...