Host your own wine tasting party

Host your own wine tasting party

Now that the holidays are over and spring seems so far away, sometimes it's hard to find something to look forward to. More than likely there is snow on the ground in your area...along with freezing temperatures. This is a great time to plan your own wine tasting party. Friends and family will appreciate the thought of tasting wine in a warm atmosphere on a cold winter evening. Following are some tips to make your wine tasting party successful and entertaining for all.

It's best to keep the amount of guests to a minimum. Eight to twelve samplers (including yourself) should be plenty.

You want to be able to interact with all of the guests on a personal level. This is also a good number to allow for

group conversation.

It's important to have the proper supplies on hand. Use this list as a guide when purchasing items before the event:

Wine: (expect approximately 10 samples per bottle)

Glasses

Simple snacks to complement the wine (cheese, bread, chocolate etc.)

Pitcher of water (for drinking and rinsing)

Dump bucket

Paper and pencils (for guests to take notes)

Wine is best tasted from white to red...and from dry to sweet. It may also help to educate your guests on the basics of wine tasting.

Swirl - Gently swirl the wine in the glass. Hold the glass up to a white background. Check out the wine's "legs" - the streams of wine that run down the side of the glass. See if the wine is light or full bodied - or somewhere in between. This is also the time to take a good look at the color of the wine. White wines can range from a very pale yellow to an almost honey golden yellow. Red wines can range from a dark pink to a deep purple.

Sniff - Take some time to identify each wine's individual aromas as a group. Every wine has such unique characteristics. This can be a very fun task for everyone.

Sip - Take a sip of wine and hold it in your mouth for a few seconds...then proceed to swish it around a bit. Allow everyone in the group to voice their impressions and thoughts of each wine that is being sampled.

There are several different ways to go about choosing wine to serve at your party. Personally, I like to pull out seven or eight bottles of wine from my wine travels. A couple of reds, a couple of whites and a dessert wine or two is typical for me. I enjoy showing my friends the wonderful wines that are offered in the eastern states that I travel to. On the other hand...you may also ask each of your friends to bring a bottle of their favorite wine. Though you can never be sure what type of variety this will produce (you may end up with all White Zinfandel), this can be a fun and inexpensive way for everyone to share their favorite wine. Some may even wind up with a new favorite at the end of the evening.

With the proper planning, an evening of wine tasting can be educational and fun for all. The best advice I can give you is to relax and have a good time...and everyone else will too.