Wine night at home: how you score

A wine night without scores turns into talk. This page is the scoring: four criteria, how you move around the table, and how you name a winner without a spreadsheet. For bottles, temperature, and themes, use how to host a wine tasting party. When you create a ClinkRate session, choose wine.

1. Why score

Without numbers, the loudest voice wins. The same four scores on every bottle give everyone a vote, including the person who will not say "terroir". At the end the night has a winner, not just a feeling that the red was fine.

2. The four criteria

1 to 5, half stars allowed. Appearance: colour, clarity, the look in the glass. Aroma: swirl, then smell. Most of "taste" is smell. Taste: first hit, what lingers, whether it changes. Mouthfeel: light or heavy, tight or soft, clean finish or a coat on the tongue. One sentence per wine is enough.

3. Around the table

• Small sips. Four to six wines, then people still get home.
• Water between glasses. Plain crackers or bread reset the palate.
• One phone each, or one paper card. Everyone scores for themselves.
• Blind is optional. To hide labels, see how to run a blind tasting.

4. Live tally

Highest average wins. On paper that happens after the last glass, when someone collects cards. In ClinkRate the leaderboard is already on the screen.

5. ClinkRate

The host starts a session, chooses wine, and shares an 8-digit PIN (or a link). Guests join on their phones. No sign-up, no app. They rate appearance, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. The app tallies live and crowns the winner. After the last pour it writes an AI summary of each wine and of the night (Professional, Fun, or Sarcastic). The catalog has 40,000+ drinks. First session free. Then the host pays $1.99 per session. Guests never pay. No subscription.

Going blind? How to run a blind tasting. Pouring small beers? Beer flight at home. Bottles and temperature: how to host a wine tasting party. Or browse all our tasting party guides.