Wine and cocktail themed activities to do this lockdown
So we’re in lockdown, again, and although it might be a sombre subject, I’m guessing you could really use this time to do something that can take your mind away from all of the madness. Maybe something to improve your knowledge and keep productive or perhaps just have a bit of fun? If wine and cocktails are your thing then I have just the list for you, creative activities that you can be enjoying this next UK lockdown.
#1 Lockdown activity – Make wine top trumps
Now this one is quite a solitary activity, however, once you’ve made the cards and printed them off you can call on your partner or family/social bubble member to play with you and bring back those good old childhood memories.
My inspiration for this activity was drawn from the Wine Folly‘s ‘A Visual Guide to Wine’, recently mentioned in my ‘top 3 beginner books’ post. For a quick re-cap, this book includes all of the most famous grape varieties from around the world, explained simply and clearly with lots of colourful diagrams.
The Wine Folly book uses a scoring system out of 5 for fruit, body, dryness, acidity and alcohol which you can copy straight onto your cards. Then chose from the additional information about the grape variety what you would like to include on the cards, but keep it consistent.
Here’s how I laid out my cards:
Fruit: 1
Body: 1
Dry: 1
Acidity: 5
Alcohol: 2
Origin: Loire, France
Flavour Profile: Lime, Lemon, Green Apple, Pear, Seashell
Regions: Loire, France (Muscadet) Best suited climate: Cool
And if all those years have got you foggy on how to play Top Trumps, then follow the link below for the rules once your masterpiece has been created.
#2 Lockdown Activity – Blind wine tasting
If you can find the time to grab a few bottles during your next shop, wrap them in foil and send them to your nearest and dearest then you could be in for a very entertaining evening indeed.
Make sure when you wrap the bottles of wine, you remember which one is which, before labelling them by either number or letter and ask the other participating household to do the same for you.
Then create an online meeting and crack on! Start by looking at the colour, followed by aromas and tasting notes. Then have a good guess as to which wine your drinking. Keep it fun and even polish off all of the bottles, though, if like me you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to whack out your new Coravin, then here’s your chance.
# 3 Lockdown Activity – Smelling spices!
The best way to own a blind tasting is to actually recognise aromas and flavours so that you can associate them with a particular grape variety. And how might you broaden your aroma and flavour library? Smelling and tasting!
This ones an easy afternoon activity that can be done by using what spices and herbs you already have lying around the kitchen, or by going out to buy the ones that you are unfamiliar with. Ever actually smelt saffron by itself? Well it’s supposed to be one of the most pungent characteristics of a Sauternes, a critical clue that can help towards guessing that glass of wine.
Lay out around 5 different herbs and spices, get to know them and then if you’re lucky enough to have company around, ask your comrade to mix them up and test you.
#4 Lockdown Activity – Get corky
You may or may not have quite a few corks hanging around from the Christmas and New Year’s festivities, if not then you might do by the time this lockdown comes to an end…
Cork’s are great for crafting and there are various ideas all over the internet about how to use them for creative projects. This year I re-created the map of India for my grandparents using corks and framed it so that they can always look upon their beloved country. My only regret is that I never got the chance to take a decent photo of it before it left Santa’s sleigh!
#5 Lockdown Activity – Make cocktails!
Now you may not have any of the fancy glassware or even a diverse enough alcohol selection, but really, who cares? You won’t be seeing and sharing them with anybody anyway…
Maybe there’s a cocktail that you’ve always wanted to have a go at making yourself but never had the time for it. Well, whilst it’s chilly outside and there’s not a whole lot of bartenders around to make cocktails for you, have a go at making some for yourself. It doesn’t need to be Mai Tai’s and Singapore Sling’s, you could perhaps just have ago at an Aperol Spritz or a Bellini but have a bit of fun with it and maybe even theme the evening with complimentary snacks!
Here are a few sites with cocktail recipes to begin your personal cocktail masterclass:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/easy-cocktail-recipes
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/g28669841/best-classic-cocktails/
https://vinepair.com/cocktail-recipe/
I hope you’ve enjoyed my activity recommendations and I wish you a merry third lockdown, and happy crafting!
Head in a Glass 