Hosting a wine tasting party can be a fun and educational way to spend time with a group of friends. There are no real rules for this type of party, just some general guidelines to help get you started.
To get started, invite anywhere from twelve to sixteen people. This is a manageable number. Anything larger than this gets hard to control, as far as who has tasted what wine, their reactions, etc. This is also a cost effective number, since one bottle of wine can be poured into small, even samplings for up to sixteen people.
Choosing Wines for Your Party
Choosing the wines to compare can be based upon a theme that you would like to follow. Perhaps you can go by region the wine came from, country of origin, or vintage. You can compare different wines within these specifications, or cross over to doing a France versus Italy. If you decide to do wines from one country, say Italy, then you could offer a selection from the regions of Piedmont, Veneto, and Tuscany. The choice is yours. Try to keep the selections limited to six cabernets from which to compare, or go with three cabernets and three chardonnays. Mixing anymore than two types of wine can get difficult for the guests to manage, especially for those with a less sophisticated palate. If you do choose to mix wines, be sure to start out with the lighter bodied wines, and then move on to fuller bodied wines.
After choosing your theme, you can choose to go about the basic acquiring the wines to be sampled in two different ways. As host, you can choose to supply the party with all of its wine, or go for a more casual approach, and have each guest bring one bottle of wine. Of course you will have to supply each guest with the name of the wine, unless you are going for a more casual type of tasting. In that case, each guest can bring one bottle of the wine of their choice, making it more of a general sampling than a tasting, the choice is yours. It is also nice to remember to select a dessert wine for the end of the evening. You may want to pair it with some nice fruit or a cheesecake, depending on the wine.
Once the wines have been selected, you can choose the accompaniments that will compliment the wines. Fresh breads and cheeses are always good to serve with wine. It is recommended to stay regional with your food choices, or within the specified theme. Using a crusty French bread to cleanse the palate between samplings of a good French bordeaux.
Decorating ideas for the wine tasting do not need to be extravagant. Using old wine bottles as candle holders makes wonderful centerpieces, as well as some jars filled with pasts or oils. Placing some neat, white table cloths under your wine makes for a fresh appearance. Placing identification cards next to each bottle will help to explain the various wines to your guests, as well as provide the information necessary for comparison. This information could include the year of the wine, the vintner, and description. Each guest can verbalize their opinions about the various wines, or you could provide blank cards to each guest to make notes, and then choose to read random cards. Either way, this will make for excellent conversation during the party.
Once the party is underway, you can make the decision to show those who attend how wine should be properly appreciated; but make sure not to offend anyone. Make it a fun process. Start by explaining the importance of smell, look, and taste. Most people will be receptive to this information, especially since it is a genuinely sophisticated piece of knowledge that will be useful for years to come.
Explaining the finer points of wine tasting is easy. Hold the glass up to the light. It should have a brilliant, clear color. The bountiful aroma of the wine can be appreciated y swirling the wine in the glass by the stem, keeping the base on a flat surface. Inhaling at this time will fill the nose with the bouquet of the wine, which is an important factor in wine tasting. Finally, the wine should be sipped and rolled over the tongue slowly. The subtly nuances of the wine are appreciated in this manner. Talk about the intricacies of each wine; dry, sweet, heavy body, light body, fruity, or woody.
This should get any wine party off to a great start, and leave you with a new found palate for wine.