Elevate your next wine sample with these pro - approved tips and tricks .
A wine and cheese political party where each Edgar Guest brings a random bottleful of wine and somefinger foodto share is good . But a thoughtful , easy - to - plan wine - tasting party with a piece of pedagogy snuck in , and a focus on expert taste makes for a more memorable event that ’s still simple to host . Try these expert - recommend wine-colored - tasting computer menu and party ideas for your next cocktail party orgathering , and you ’ll all find smarter and in good tone . Plus , you may just find a Modern favorite bottleful of wine , a varietel you love , orappetizer recipesyou’ll be making on repeat .
7 Wine Tasting Party Ideas
Rather than leaving it up to prospect , have guest Venmo / Cash App / Apple Pay for the vino , so you could be careful about the pick ( and check you do n’t end up with ten bottles of the samerosé wine … although there could be worse things ) . Or designate specific wine for guests to bring . Then break up one of the wine - tasting fare themes below to run your selections .
1. Blind Tasting
This format is a fave of Maurice DiMarino , the wine and beverage coach of Cohn Restaurant Group in San Diego because it storm you to subdue any possible biases from late raves or criticisms . One way to add a private-enterprise and interactive factor is to place a assortment of bottle in paper bags ( hence the " unsighted " description ) , allow everyone to taste , and demand each guest to guess the grapes . The person who answer the most aright wins a incentive feeding bottle to take home .
2. Tour the Globe
" sample a well - known grape like Pinot Noir , Cabernet Sauvignon , Chardonnay , or Sauvignon Blanc that ’s grown all around the world , " indicate Gretchen Skedsvold , co - owner of Henry & Son , a wine store in Minneapolis . Purchase one feeding bottle each from France , New Zealand or Australia , South Africa , Argentina or Chile , and California or Oregon , then research the difference .
3. Go Regional
Or do the opposite and select a commixture of grapes grown in the same country . For example , blood line up on Carménère , Syrah , Pinot Noir , Chardonnay , and Sauvignon Blanc , all from Chile , and note the Brobdingnagian difference between these grapevine acquire on very alike soil .
4. Let the Food Be Your Guide
Rather than worry if the wine-colored - smack bill of fare is the pure coupling with the wine-coloured ( spoiler alert : if you like a wine , it will pair attractively with whatever you ’re exhaust ) , let the intellectual nourishment moderate the conversation . " Select a food for thought and ask everyone to pick a differentwine to pair with the food , " Skedsvold articulate . Whip up a Chicken Curry , for instance , then sample it with a red , rosé , white , and scintillate variety before choosing your top selection .
5. Variety Pack
you’re able to determine a lot by sip on various wines back to back . You might not pretend by coming into court , but the flavor of Chardonnay compare to Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc is Brobdingnagian . With that in mind , select a bottle of those three Patrick White and three different reds ( DiMarino urge Pinot Noir , Cabernet Sauvignon , and Merlot ) . Each sampling station can then notice the subtle ( and stark ) variances in acidity , torso , alcohol point , and tannin , which is that acerb caliber that dries out your clapper .
6. An Eye for Value
nifty vino need not cost a chance . For a perfunctory wine - tasting political party that wo n’t fall in the coin bank but will get everyone talking , visit a wine workshop and call for the stave for their favorite bottles at a reasonable price , like $ 20 . Chances are , they ’ll have some tasty recommendations they ’ll be frantic to partake in . enquire everyone to sample a sip of each , then either guess the Mary Leontyne Price of the bottles or pick the most expensive .
7. New vs. Old World
The same grape vine grown in different countries and aged in disparate ways can taste like a all different drink . Taste and see by compare one varietal , say , Malbec , grown in the old - existence ( Europe ) and new - worldly concern ( anywhere outside of Europe ) styles . older - universe wines lean to be light in body , higher in sourness and minerality , and low-spirited in alcohol andfruity flavorsthan their raw - human race counterpart . See if you and your tasting pals can spot the difference between one white and one Marxist of the same grape .
Wine-Tasting Menu Ideas
In term of wine - tasting menus , DiMarino favor to save the solid food until after the tasting activities for a clear palate experience .
" When people pair food with the wine , it often changes the overall flavor of the wine , which is why I suggest relieve hors d’oeuvres or dinner until afterward . Of course , carry through a few bottles to savor with food for thought ! " he says .
That tell , if you want to host a finger - food for thought wine tasting or are seeking some easy snacks with wine to help balance out the alcohol ( never a bad thought ) , DiMarino recommends pick out intellectual nourishment that showcase unlike taste elements . Try :
Credit: fstop123/Getty Images
" Having a variety of flavour on your wine-colored - tasting food spread can also show how sure foods do not work with certain wine , like tart lemony recipe with Merlot , " DiMarino says .
you’re able to never go wrong with have extra bread and crackers to snack on between samples to set a vacuous tasting ticket .
For dinner party recipes to enjoy after you finish the official tasting factor of the evening , Svedsvold says , " I never get tired of the adage ' what grows together goes together , ' " which stand for you ’re mostly on the right cartroad when you serve wine from one rural area alongside a recipe traditionally made in that same situation . For a casual wine-colored - savour party , tryMargherita Pizzawith Italian Montepulciano . Or , for something a bit more upscale , considerBoeuf Bourguignonwith Gallic ruby-red Bordeaux .
What You’ll Need to Host a Casual Wine Tasting Party
If you ’re host a wine - taste political party in your base , stock up on this equipment and these items to check a unseamed , stress - free experience .
Bonus Wine Tasting Party Tips
Now that you have your wine - tasting party musical theme , wine - taste computer menu , and equipment set , there are just a few other detail for the most neat outcome .
Now that you live how to host an unforgettable wine-coloured - tasting political party lead off assembling your guest list and lift a glass to all the sport ahead .
