Do you have stuck at home blues? Dying to go to a wine tasting or to travel to your favorite winery? Or do you just want to have a fun small gathering and need some ideas?
With these simple steps, you can plan and host a great tasting party without heading out!
1) Set the mood by preparing your table:
A few strategic decorations can make a big difference in setting the mood. f you are planning a French wine tasting, consider having a little French music steaming in the background. Order some French themed decorations. These can be simple napkins, plates, and toothpicks.
2) Select the Wine and your snacks!
Decide which wines you want to taste! Do you want to stick to one region or do a sampling from several different countries? If you want to do a Chardonnay tasting, you could pick up 3-4 different bottles from various parts of the world. I recently did a Pinot Noir tasting that included a French, US, and New Zealand wines! It was a fun way to sample wine! I found the tasting trio here Pinot Tasting Trio!
Once you decide on the wine, get your snacks! You'll want your friends to have something to nosh on between sips. I like to set up a charcuterie tray with an array of crackers, fruit, cheese, chocolate, and nuts for tastings!
3) Get Prepared!
Go online to get the tasting notes for the wines you plan to taste! You will find a wealth of information on the exact wines you plan to taste with a quick google search! Check out this example!
Read up on the wine so you can share a bit of information on the area, the winemaking process and tasting notes you should experience with each wine. The more you practice, the more this info will sink in!
4) Set your table! Ideally you will want to set a different glass for each wine being tasted. This way you can easily compare and contrast the different wines! I didn’t do this for my Pinot tasting and I really wish I had. Full disclosure, it was Thanksgiving and the idea of washing 12 wine glasses on top of everything else just didn’t seem as fun.
5) Have fun with the tasting!
Play games! A fun idea is to ask off the wall questions about the wine! For example, "If this wine were a vacation, what would it be?" Does a deep dark red wine feel like a snowed in log cabin with a fire roaring? or does the Sauvignon Blanc remind you of a walk on the beach with your toes in the cool water? These types of questions get you and your friends thinking of wine in a whole new way!
Other fun questions: Describe what type of movie scene the wine would be or if the wine were a car what would it be? What kind of sandwich? Get creative and have fun! I have heard some great responses to these questions!
6) Review the Tasting Notes: Once you have tasted the wines and had a little fun, now you can explore the wine from the winemaker's view! Can you detect the aromas described in the spec sheet? What aromas do you pick up when you swirl and sniff?
These are just a few fun ideas to have a little wine tasting party at home! You don't have to be an expert to throw a great party! Make it fun and keep it light!
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