Holiday Open House Style Wine Tasting at Home with Food Drive

Bring your neighbors together for a fun holiday party idea that also gives back to the community.

Host an open house style Wine Tasting at Home with a food drive with Noble Vines 337® Cabernet Sauvignon and 446® Chardonnay.

This post is sponsored by Noble Vines. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please drink responsibly. Content intended for those 21 years and older.

Basket holding canned goods and a bottle of red and white wine.

Now more than ever we are craving human interaction. And while I'm lucky to live in a comfortable neighborhood with amazing neighbors, many are less fortunate.

I was inspired by Noble Vines to think differently about holiday entertaining this year.

Not only can you bring people together, safely, but you can give back to local families in need at the same time.

I've hosted wine tastings before, but to keep things extra safe, I came up with a fun idea to merrily mingle, sip some delicious wine and donate to a local food bank.

Woman pouring a glass of red wine with a lady putting canned food in a basket.

How to plan a wine tasting open house and food drive

This holiday party idea is super easy. An open house style party, where people can drop by when they are free is not only easy for the host but also the guests.

People come and go as they are free and there isn't one large crowd for the whole time.

And wine tasting at home is super fun!

I set everything up outside to make sure we could spread out. It also meant that party prep only included buying minimal supplies and setting up a small area instead of ensuring that the whole house was party-ready. Amen.

I chose delicious Noble Vines wines to taste. They make quality wine at affordable prices. And they are committed to making great wines and inspiring acts of kindness and generosity.

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Take care of the party prep

Setting up your wine tasting party as an open house keeps the party prep to a minimum. But there are still a few things you need to do before you get too far.

Make a shopping list for the things you need to purchase like wine and plastic cups.

You will also want to choose a local food bank to donate to and head to their website to see what types of items they really need and will accept. Mine doesn't accept glass jars and they prefer low sodium vegetables.

Invite the neighbors

Since this party is really casual, you can keep the invitation super simple. Either send an email with all the details or a quick text with important information.

Be sure to let them know any specific information about donations. And let them know if you'll keep the containers on your porch after the party in case they want to participate but can't make it to your get together.

Make sure the time of the open house is clear. I kept mine to a 2-hour window.

And while I kept mine super casual, if you want to do a dress code, like an ugly sweater, make sure to mention that as well.

I also mentioned bringing masks to ensure that everyone was as safe as possible when distancing wasn't possible.

Small tables with wine and canned foods to donate for a fun holiday open house idea.

Party set up

I made sure that the Noble Vines Chardonnay was chilled ahead of time and about ½ hour before the party was to start I began to set up.

I used a party bucket filled with ice to serve the Chardonnay and set the Cabernet out, with a wine opener, on the table.

I used disposable glasses to make serving and clean up extra easy. This way, if a neighbor didn't feel comfortable hanging out, they could drop off their donations and take their wine to go.

A table with baskets of donated canned food to take to the food bank.

I used one small table to hold the wines and cups and a second table for collecting the donations.

I used fresh greenery, found in the floral department, to add some fun fall touches. They are inexpensive but add a nice touch.

Edible flowers in a container next to a small glass of wine with one as garnish.

Add a few special touches

No matter what type of party I host I like to include a few special touches.

In this case, I used edible flowers found at my local market as a garnish to add to the wine. They don't change the flavor at all but add a ton of color to the wine and the drinks table.

I find offering edible flowers always makes people smile!

Woman pouring white wine in a glass on a drink table.

Enjoy the wine

It was so nice to have the neighbors over and enjoy some wine together. I've hosted wine tastings for us before but this one was even easier by just keeping it to two delicious varietals.

The Noble Vines Chardonnay has notes of ripe pear and a hint of vanilla that compliments the oaky flavor.

Noble Vines Cabernet Sauvignon has hints of black cherry with a little black pepper. It's smooth and tasty and a great wine for when the weather cools down.

Two women holding small glasses of wine with a party table in the background.

Give back

Hosting people with a simple open house is a great way to remind them to look for more ways to give back at this time of year.

Noble Vines is partnering with AmpleHarvest.org to donate to 26 food banks/pantries across 19 states to help with hunger relief efforts.

Noble Vines collective donations to AmpleHarvest.org and their pantry partners equates to over 228,000 meals and 225,000 servings of fresh produce being served to those in need this holiday season.

I'm glad that, along with my neighbors, we were able to make our own donation and help local families.

Noble Vines is bringing out the best in wine and people this holiday.

Plan your own holiday wine tasting open house and food drive soon!