In a city where wine tastings are often limited to sipping and swirling, The founder of St. Pete Wine Scene is introducing a more hands-on, creative approach called The Blending Table. This is an interactive wine tasting designed to turn guests from passive sippers into active wine creators.
Instead of simply sampling pre-selected pours, participants experiment with three individual selected wines, craft their own blends in beakers and even develop names and labels for their creation. This experience brings a creative and collaborative twist to the traditional wine tasting format. Each event takes place at different wine venues to support local business.
"I started The Blending Table because I wanted to build a wine experience that felt more dynamic than a standard tasting. Through my work with St. Pete Wine Scene, where I cover local wine events and businesses, I kept seeing an opportunity for an event that was more interactive, more memorable and more engaging for different kinds of attendees," said Sabrina D'Alba, founder of St. Pete Wine Scene and The Blending Table. "I wanted it to feel memorable beyond the event itself, which is why each team creates a custom label that goes on a bottle they can take home."
At each event, teams of two compete to create their own blend of wine, which is judged and ranked by a professional.
"It has an educational side, but it is also social and fun. You do not need a wine background to enjoy it," D'Alba said.
During the recent blending table event at The Wine Cave and The Dutchman, guests created their own blends using Grenache, Syrah and Mourvédre. Each red wine brought a distinct profile, making it a challenge to find the perfect balance.
D’Alba described Grenache as offering a fruit-forward profile with a generous body, while Syrah provided a deeper color with smoky, black pepper notes. Mourvèdre, she said, added structure with a more savory, earthy character.
"You are part of the process here, and that gives people a better understanding of wine structure because they can actually taste how one adjustment changes everything. In many cases, guests can also purchase the featured wines and keep experimenting with blends at home," D'Alba said.
During the timed blending portion, teams relied on their taste buds to craft their creations. Once time was up, participants had 15 minutes to design a label and develop a backstory before presenting their wine to the judge, who evaluated each blend without knowing the ratios.
The storytelling quickly became a highlight of the night.
"Our blend is based on actors, like Scarlet Johansson because she is the lede lady," said one team, who named their wine "Hells Kitchen".
Another team named their bottle "Three Wise Woman," honoring their friendship. "Individually impressive, together right," their presenter said.
Guests laughed and admired the hand-drawn labels as each team shared their story.
"I'm judging based on the ability to enjoy balance. What does it finish like? What's the complexity like? What really makes the wine in the glass stand out using three traditional blenders. Everyone will have a different outcome making it fun," said judge Andy McNamara, master sommelier and president of ACE Wine and Spirits.
McNamara awarded third place to “Iconic Duo,” second to “Dunk Broads” and first place to “Three Wise Women.”
"I think it's really cool and unique. I've always wanted to do something like this," said winner Kate Sutton. "I hate to admit it but the competition aspect of it also makes it really fun because we're both really competitive and so we enjoyed that, but mostly we love wine."
Sutton and teammate Molly Hall won a bottle of Syrah, but no one left empty-handed. All teams got to take home their bottle featuring their custom label to have a lasting memory of their time at The Blending Table.
