Hosting a Wine Tasting Party
A wine tasting party can be an opportunity to provide a fun atmosphere for friends to compare and contrast different wines. Here are a few tips to help to host a wine tasting party of your own.
Choose a Theme
Sometimes a simple theme is best. Perhaps choose a single type of wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. It is suggested you choose no more than 6 different wines to taste. Have other wine makers bring wines they have made and make it a simple competition. Prizes area great way to liven up the event.
Determining the Tasting Procedure
Blind tastings can be fun! Remove the label from the wine and simply place a piece of masking tape on the bottle with a secret code. Give everyone a list of the wines they will be tasting and challenge them to figure out which is which. For example #1 might be a 2005 Selection Australian Cabernet Sauvignon and #2 a 2006 Cellar Craft Limited Release Quartet Cabernet and so on.
Provide a score sheet that allows each taster to rate each wine on its merits. You can add the scores afterwards and determine the winner or the most popular. Creative Connoisseur has copies of wine tasting score sheets to help with your evening.
Have everyone taste each wine at the same time and discuss each wine to see the different perceptions. This can add to the enjoyment.
Wine tastings prior to a meal are a great ice breaker and can set the tone for a fun evening. It is also a good idea to have the wine tasting before the meal to avoid food tastes impacting your taste buds. And in today’s concern of moderation it allows for ample time to make for a safe trip home later in the evening.
You don’t have to have a large group to have a successful evening. Wine tastings of 4 people can be a blast.
Organizing the Wine Tasting
Remember to plan for the correct serving temperature for your wine. We can help determine that for you. If you plan to taste several different types of wines it is usually best to start with the lightest wine and ending with the heaviest. Be sure to provide simple cheese and crackers so as to not mask the flavour of the wines but at the same time allowing for the tasters to cleanse their palate.
Each guest can be provided with a wine glass and it is suggested you serve an ounce of the wine to be tasted. This allows for plenty of room in the glass to swirl the wine to reveal its true nature. Allow guests to rinse their glass between servings.
You don’t have to be a professional wine taster. Make it a fun evening!