There’s a better type of party … a wine tasting party! Sounds intimidating right? All the sniffing, swirling, intellectual jargon … half of which you make up, attempting to impress friends with your wine wisdom. Don’t hold your breath. Relax, wine tasting parties are about tasting and learning about wine, not faking it. After all, how can the words “wine” + “tasting” + “party” be bad? They can’t.
Wine tasting parties are an opportunity to bring friends together and learn about wine in a non-threatening atmosphere. One of the most important tips is, choose party guests wisely. Have a friend that always steals the wine list and speaks fluently about wine, someone that terrifies you with their wine knowledge? Maybe skip them on the guest list. Pick people you feel comfortable learning, sharing, and raising a glass with.
Here are my top ten tips for creating a successful wine tasting party, and remember the best way to learn, is to taste. Choose 4-6 wines to taste per party. Less is always welcome, anymore might cause confusion.
How to Host a Wine Tasting Party
1. Pick a date for your tasting group. Meet once a month to create an ongoing wine discussion and build on your last party. This can be held at the same person’s house, or the group can create a rotating schedule. This goes hand-in-hand with picking the right party guests. Guests can vary from party to party, allowing people to join parties in which the wine subject matter interests them the most.
2. Pick a wine type or varietal to showcase. This could be a type of wine, region and/or both, such as Chardonnay, Old World/New World, or American Northwest Pinot Noirs.
3. Set a price point. Ask everyone to buy a bottle in a certain price range or chip in money and let the host buy all the bottles. To keep things simple, set a range, such as wines between $10-$15 dollars. As your experience increases, so can your price point. Every once in a while, as knowledge increases, have a “splurge” party and buy a nice bottle everyone will appreciate and enjoy.
4. Pick a theme for your tasting. It could be a holiday season, spring wines, whites, reds, or whatever strikes your fancy. An interesting topic could be to choose one type of wine or region to contrast. This allows guests to discuss the differences between two types of wines. To make it easier choose 2-3 wines per side.
For example:
California Chardonnay vs. French Burgundy Old World Wines (European) vs. New World Wines (New Zealand, South America, Africa)
5. Bag the bottles or cover for a blind tasting. This takes away the pretension. It also elevates the surprise. You never know when the $10 bottles is going to taste better than the $20 bottle.
6. Set out dump buckets in case people want to pour out the wines. It’s customary to “spit” after tasting a wine. It’s not necessary, especially at a party, but it does allow for a clean palate as you taste your way through the wines of the night. It’s also a lot easier to remember which wines were your favorite when you’re not tipsy.
7. Make two tasting sheets for each wine, one with all the tasting note spaces blank and one (that you’ll give guests when they leave) with all the important information. Ask everyone to note the color, aromas, flavors, and leave room for notes and your overall impressions. This is a great opportunity to discuss what you’re tasting. Discuss! After uncovered make a note of the region, cost, name etc. Discuss again!
8. Offer appetizers and palate cleansers. Inevitably people will be drinking … not just tasting. To offset this, offer your guests nibbles. Not tasting too many/much wine? Palate cleansers such as water crackers allow people to switch from wine to wine without lingering tastes. See the appetizer recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Crostini.
9. Follow the four S’s. See. Swirl. Smell. Sip (then spit or swallow).
10. Enjoy! It’s a party after all. Cheers … and bottoms up. If you don’t remember all the wines from this party, it’s always an excuse to throw another.
Roasted Red Pepper Crostini
Recipe by Ashton Keefe
• 1 fresh French baguette
• 1 log of goat cheese, room temperature
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers (marinated in water instead of oil if health conscience), drained and sliced thinly
• Crumbled bacon (optional)
• Sauteed onions (optional)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
In a sauce pan or small pot combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and heat over medium heat. Reduce until the mixture is thickened and sweet, about five minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Turn your oven settings to “broil” and preheat the brolier. In the meantime slice a baguette long ways and open as if you were making a very large sandwich. Spread the goat cheese on both sides of the baguette and top with roasted red peppers.
Add bacon and/or onions if desired.
Place baguettes on a sheet tray and broil until cheese is slightly golden and bubbly.
This should take only a few minutes so keep an eye on it.
Drizzle with reduced balsamic and portion out. Eat and enjoy!
