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How to Host a Wine Party
by: Stuart Glasure
Looking to have some fun with friends while sharing
some wine? You should consider hosting a wine tasting
party. It's a really neat way to share your wine favorites
and to be introduced to a variety of new and interesting
wines. You can also add some spice to your fun by using a
wine theme ("All About Reds", "Blindfold Tasting", etc.).
Party Size
You don't need a lot of guests to have a great party.
What I have found works best is to have about four to
twelve people, and definitely include yourself as one of
the registered guests. Also, I like to always have a
contest during the party and give away a gift.
Theme Selection
Pick a fun theme, and remember the theme also
determines what wines will be poured. You can name a theme
like "The Great Italians", "The Great Whites of
California", or whatever fits your mood. I would suggest
being very creative, the possibilities are endless. If you
tell your local wine merchant your theme, they can be a
great source of help with wine and theme matching. Also,
at a minimum make sure you have 4 to 6 different wine
types to taste.
Food Choices
Have you heard the saying "First the wine, then your
menu"? If you had a theme for your party and your wines
followed that theme, you may want to carry it through with
whatever food you serve. For example if you are tasting
Italian Reds why not serve some Italian munchies to match.
While you do need to provide foods that complement the
wines provided, the food should not the backbone of the
party. Focus on the d'oeuvres such as: cheese, fruit,
unsalted crackers, bread or other munchies you may have
prepared for the evening. Don not forget to have lots of
bottled room temperature water and optional spit buckets
available.
When all the tasting is done, you may want to have
plenty of coffee and desserts. This is also a great time
to break out one of your favorite dessert wines.
To experience the full pleasure of the wine, it is
important that you serve them at the correct temperature.
Below are the basic temperature guidelines:
Temperature per Wine Types
37-43°F White Sweet Wines
41-45°F Champagne and Sparkling Wines
46-50°F White Dry Young Wines
48-54°F White Aged and Pink Wines
52-59°F Red Young Wines
54-63°F Port and Sherry
58-63°F Red Full-body Wines
59-65°F Red Aged Wines
Serving Considerations
There are important factors to consider when pouring
the wine at a Wine Tasting Party.
- Fill the glasses only one-third full. This will
prevent anyone from swirling the wine on your tablecloth
or carpeting.
- Expect to serve about eight to twelve samples from
each 750 ml bottle.
- As a rule, serve white wines before red wines and
dry wines before sweet.
- Blush wines are served as you would serve a rose,
in-between the white and the reds.
- The serving order is more common sense than
etiquette.
- Sweet wines have a tendency to over power the taste
buds giving a sensation of bitterness to the dry wines.
Sights
The first step in the tasting process is to examine the
wine and take note of the color, clarity, and transparency
of the wine. Young wines are typically very clear. Older
blends may be expected to have a little sediment. There is
a lot to this and it takes a bit of experience to
understand which hues are right for each type.
Smell
The second step is in the pleasure of smelling the
wine. Swirl the wine around in the glass which awakens its
aromas or bouquets. It is important to take a good sniff
of the bouquet and try to detect unique fragrances. If are
new at this, don´t fret, you will get better over time.
Taste
Now the fun part of actually tasting the wine. Take a
sip and roll the wine over your tongue. Different parts of
the tongue will register different tastes so be sure to
roll the wine around in your mouth. Try to focus on the
characteristics of the wine, such as body, sweetness,
tartness, bitterness, and fruitiness. You should also take
notice the subtleties of the wine's aftertaste.
Contributor: Stuart Glasure [Designer, Fashion
Artist, Creator: "Zany Wearables", Wine Enthusiast]
www.ZanyGiftware.com
www.WineDefinitions.com
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