How to Host a Wine Tasting Event
The wine list at Commander's Palace Restaurant in New Orleans admonishes its patrons that even the best wine "fails to delight" unless it is consumed "in more favorable surroundings." Indeed, good vino is best enjoyed in the company of friends. You can bring your friends together around the sacred grape by hosting your own private wine-tasting party in the favorable surroundings of your own home. As with other institutions of high culture, a successful wine-tasting will meet some basic standards. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 12 to 16 guests
- 4 to 6 bottles of wine of the same vintage or variety
- Wine refrigerator
- Bar or table
- White table cloth or butcher paper
- Chairs or stools
- Paper bags
- Permanent marker
- Score sheets
- Pens or pencils
- Wine glasses or clear plastic cups
- Palate-clearing appetizers
- Wine placemats (optional)
- Spit bucket (optional)
Instructions
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Hosting a Wine-Tasting
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1
Select a theme. A good wine-tasting is not simply a collection of random wines. Your tasting should focus on a particular type of wine. The easiest way to select a theme is to taste wines of the same vintage or variety. A vintage-themed party might focus exclusively on 2002 chardonnay or 1995 pinot grigio. Alternatively, you could host a tasting focusing on wines of the same grape variety or family, such as zinfandel, Kastelanski and Primitivo grapes of California, Croatia and Italy, respectively.
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2
Invite guests. Unless you have a large home and even larger budget, invite no more than 12 to 16 guests to your wine-tasting. An individual bottle can accommodate approximately 12 to 16 glasses of 2 oz. of wine. For a less-formal event, an electronic invitation is acceptable. More formal events, however, demand a personalized invitation delivered via hand or post.
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3
Purchase bottles of wine and palate cleansers. Select 4 to 6 bottles of wine that fit within your theme. Aim for wines from different vineyards of equivalent reputation and quality. You also will want to purchase appetizers to cleanse each taster's palate between wines. Neutral-tasting crackers, bread or biscuits are standard, but you also can serve mild cheeses as long as they don't leave an aftertaste.
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4
Chill the wine. In your wine refrigerator or any other controlled-temperature space, chill white wines at approximately 50 to 55 degrees F and red wines at 60 to 65 degrees F. Do not bring the wine out until just before serving.
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5
Set up your space. Lay out a white table cloth or, if you are concerned about spillage, white butcher paper over the table or bar area where you will conduct your tasting. Assign each guest a wine glass with an identifying tag. Lay out any appetizers, and print out a basic scoring sheet for each of your guests. Also make sure to purge any unnecessary smells from the area, including pleasant smells such as potpourri, that might distort the aroma of the wine.
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6
Disguise each wine bottle. Hide the labels of the bottles by placing each in a small paper bag with an assigned number in permanent marker. Be sure to remove any identifying foil or corks.
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7
Introduce and serve each wine in order. For each bottle, pour no more than 2 oz. into each glass. Each guest should swirl, smell, sip, savor and swallow each sample. Allow time for discussion and reflection and for each guest to score each wine according to aroma, flavor, fruitiness and other factors. Have your guests cleanse their palates, and proceed to the next bottle, repeating the process until finished.
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Announce the winning wine. Tally up the score sheets and declare your event's "champion." Continue with the rest of the party, and enjoy the taste of fine wine in the company of good friends.
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Tips & Warnings
Use your wine-tasting event as a springboard for a "tasting club," which could extend to other delicacies such as chocolate or beer.
Serve dinner or light appetizers after the wine-tasting to continue the evening and allow the wine to settle.
If necessary, arrange for designated drivers after the event.
Never serve boxed wine.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit low view of a wine glass with wine and grapes and napkin image by David Smith from Fotolia.com
