From experts to amateurs, everyone can have fun at a wine tasting party.
Jan 28 '00
Hosting a wine tasting party can be a great way to mix-n-mingle with like-minded people without the Oprah-ness of a book club or the financial risk of an investment club. (In theory.) If you're looking for a fun activity or theme for your next party, a wine tasting might be just the ticket. Of course, if you’re looking to drink ‘til you blow chunks and hook up with the anonymous cutie across the room, you might be better served by trolling the local high school keggers. Or, I suppose, you could just drink a ton of wine.
Here are a few suggestions on how to have a fun wine party without breaking your bank. Note to nosy married Cupids: this type of party can be great for couples AND singles you’re desperately trying to marry off. Just pair up everyone at the party with their own tasting sheets. More on that later.
STARTING OFF- THE WINES, THE SETTING, AND THE MENU
Selecting the right wine type is the key to driving the theme and activity of the party. First, I’d recommend you select a varietal. In the summer you might want to consider crisper and drier whites like Chardonnays, Pinot Grigios, and Sauvignon Blancs, which can be chilled and sipped outdoors on the patio on a lovely summer evening and paired up with delicious, mild cheeses, freshly sliced apples, and grapes.
For autumn, break out the hearty reds, like the Red Zinfandels, Burgundies, and Cabernet Sauvignons. Plan a barbecue with an hors’ d’ oeuvre menu featuring tangier cheeses, nuts, and meats (some of my favorites are more exotic meats like ostrich or buffalo, but they’re harder to prepare so you can always stick with plain old Bessie).
During the raging colds of winter, a port party set against the backdrop of holiday decorations, a toasty fire, and a selection of nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit could be a welcome antidote to eggnog. On the other end of the spectrum, a tasting of sweeter dessert wines like sherry or Gewürztraminer paired up with a selection of finger-sized desserts might add a couple of unwanted pounds, but everyone’s thrown all diets to the wind by the holidays anyway, so what the hell?
LOGISTICS
Now, Miss Manners might scream here, but guests always ask you if they can bring something anyway, so don’t be shy. Assign each guest a bottle of wine within the varietal you’ve chosen (try not to make these poor people shell out more than $10-15 bucks a bottle). Make sure, however, that you’ve got at least the basic quantities that you need covered with at least one bottle per variety for every 7-8 people. That way, you won’t break your own bank, but you’re sure to have extra for those who find a wine they like so darn much that they decide to drink ‘til they blow chunks and hook up with the cutie across the room.
Unless you’ve got a real bunch of experts, stick to between 4-6 different wines within the varietal; that makes it a bit more manageable in terms of glassware. Borrow as many wine glasses as you possibly can from friends, and pair people up at the party to share a set of glassware and write their tasting notes together; this encourages conversation, collaboration, and potential future hook-ups (this is where the nosy Cupids get all happy.)
Lay out a large table with the wine glasses, the hors’ d’oeuvre, and bread and pitchers of water to cleanse the palate between tastings. Open all of the bottles at least 20-30 minutes before all of the guests arrive; for some reds, you might want them to sit up to an hour before they are drunk.
Provide a tasting notes sheet; you can download these from a lot of different wine websites, or create your own chart. Across the top, provide spaces to list the wine name. Down the left-hand side, list the characteristics you want to judge on. You can keep it as broad as appearance, aroma, taste, and finish; have people rate it on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being the best. Leave room for personal notes and descriptions. At the end of the tasting portion, have everybody vote on his or her favorite wine. Pick names out of a hat for a person who gets to take home an extra bottle. Give booby prizes to the people who describe every wine as “tasting like grapes.”
One other suggestion, and this is not an Ice-Storm-esque invitation to group sex: collect everybody’s car keys in a fishbowl and make sure they’re OK to drive home. Have fun, keep it low-key, and people will talk about your party for a long time to come! Or at least until the next time someone busts out the kegs.
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