How to Plan a Wine Tasting Party
Written By: Randy Torban on Tue, Jul 28th 2009
A wine-tasting party is a fun and creative way to broaden your wine knowledge. Uncork some bottles and invite your friends over for a night of fun, unforgettable swirls, smells and sips. Engaging conversation will flow as you and your guests move from wine to wine – just make sure you have plenty of glasses!
When planning how many bottles to buy, a good formula to use is 5 glasses of wine per bottle. If you pour a “tasting serving” you can bump the number of glasses per bottle up to 10. You can assume that each guest will drink half a bottle of wine, but remember that you’re having a wine TASTING party and you want to have a little of many different bottles. You can have an assortment of red and white wine varietals for a traditional approach, or choose different versions of a single varietal such as Merlot from different countries including Chile, California, France, Italy, and Australia. You could even have a dessert wine tasting party, offering Port, Sherry, Late Harvest Riesling, Ice Wine, Sauterne, and Semillon.
As you sample each bottle, notice how the wine looks, smells and tastes. Is the color light and watery; is it deep and intense? Did the palate offer bold fruit, or a subtle minerality? Was there any alcohol burn? Were the flavors ripe, juicy, or lush on the palate? Was the acidity balanced? Were the tannins bold or elegant? Was the finish short or long? Discussing your reactions will enhance everyone’s wine vocabulary. To expand your ability to describe wine flavors, read the article on wine aromas and flavors; you may find something you haven’t been able to put your finger on.
In addition to wine, any good wine tasting party will have water and snacks on hand to nibble on between sips. Start with the perfect pairing that is cheese and wine, but you can also experiment by combining wine with dinner foods. Impress your guests with a few simple pairing suggestions.
Offer cheeses with a range of textures and flavors in order to provide variety. Consider mixing cheeses from each milk source (cow, goat and sheep). For example, you could serve fresh goat cheese, creamy Brie (made from cow’s milk) and firm Manchego (made from sheep’s milk). Pair wines and cheeses with matching flavors and mouth-feel. For example, link creamy-textured cheeses with heavy, dessert-type wines such as Sauterne or a Dolce because both wine and cheese will have a thick, rich feel on the tongue. Generally, tangy, fresh goat cheese tastes best with crisp white wine such as Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or even an Albarino. Above all, remember that there’s nothing wrong with experimenting. Select your favorite wines and cheeses, and see what different combinations you prefer.
If you’re serving dinner foods at the wine tasting party, remember that heartier foods usually taste better with hearty, full-bodied wines. Pasta and red sauce would pair perfectly with different Italian reds such as a Chianti, Super Tuscan, Ripasso, and Barolo. White meats such as duck, chicken, or pork could be paired with multiple Chardonnay or Riesling from different regions and countries. Steak or other red meat could be served with a variety of big reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz, Bordeaux, and Priorat. The tasting of new wines will introduce you and your guests to bottles that may be out of the drinking “comfort zone,” and may open new doors to new flavors.
To satisfy your sweet tooth, complement a multitude of desserts with an array of sweet wines. Pair an assortment of chocolate with Pedro Ximenez Sherry and Late Bottled Vintage Port. Serve fruit tarts, creme brulee, mousse, and pastries with glasses of white dessert wine such as Eiswein, Late Harvest Riesling or Sauterne. Be sure to select a wine that is sweeter than the dessert so the wine isn’t overshadowed, and there’s a balance.
Whatever you decide to do, remember that the only bad pairings are the ones YOU don’t enjoy, so feel free to experiment to you heart’s content.
