How to: Throw a Wine Tasting

Entertainment

From The Big Basket Blog

A wine tasting offers a lot of variation to match your own unique style. Whether you’re looking for a casual party with friends or an elegant soiree, a wine tasting will give your next party the fun you’ve been looking for! Wine tastings are fun and classy ways to entertain friends and learn something new, but most of us are not wine experts. Here are some tips and tricks to help you throw your own successful wine tasting party:

Party Theme: Your first decision is what kind of wine tasting you would like to throw. You could focus on white or red wines, wines from a particular region, or wines from a particular winemaker. Whatever you choose, having a theme will help concentrate your wine choices, making your party decisions easier.

Wine Pairings: The best part of a tasting is the tasty appetizers that go together with the wine. How could you go wrong serving delicious cheeses, fruits, and desserts? Once you have your wine selection picked out, you can decide which mouth-watering pairings you’d like to serve. Check out this chart to see which cheeses and appetizers pair nicely with particular wines:

The Tasting: Want your guests to think you’re a pro? Just remember these five steps to tasting wine:

See- Observe both the color and clarity of the wine by holding up the glass in a well-lighted room. White wines gain color as they age, while red wines lose color and start to turn brown.
Swirl- By swirling your wine in the glass, you expose it to a larger surface area which helps to bring out the flavors.
Smell- The common aromas of wine include fruits, flowers, spices, and herbs. There are hundreds of different smells in wine- see which ones your nose can detect!
Sip- (Finally, the best part!) Roll the wine across all of your taste buds. Since your tongue is designed to taste different things, rolling it around will help you to taste all of the flavors your wine has to offer.
Swallow- Make sure to note the aftertaste of the wine. Good wines tend to have finishes that last longer.

*Make sure you and your guests take notes on the different wines they taste so that they remember what they liked or what they didn’t.

A Fun Twist: For a little more entertainment at your party, try hiding the names of wine or cheeses from your guests and have them guess the types of wine based on their tasting. You can even turn it into a contest with prizes for added fun!

With a little creativity, you’ll have everyone thinking you’re a wine professional and a terrific entertainer!