Throw a Wine Tasting Party
By Maria Pietromonaco
Although this particular kind of party is most enjoyed by wine worshippers, those who don't take immense pleasure in the sacred juice of the grape will enjoy it as well. It's a great party to get people talking and learn about wine as well.
First, you have to put together a guest list (you're probably thinking 'what a lame 'how to' this is going to be). But this part is important because each bottle of wine can supply 25 guests with an ounce, just enough to get a feel for it. Make sure you take a head count on actual wine tasters, because inevitably there will be several couples where only one in the pair is going to indulge.
So now you have to assign wines to your guests. There are several ways you can do it, either by region, variety, or price. For example, break up the wines into below $15 a bottle, between $15 - $25, or over $25. You can also have some bring a syrah, a pinot noir, a cabernet sauvignon, etc., or you can do any combination of the three. Be creative.
Before the party you'll have to get some paper wine bags from the liquor store because this is a blind tasting. Make sure you have enough wine glasses, donned with charms or another method of identifying glasses during the evening. You should also have some kind of spittoon available for those not looking to roll out the door when it's all over.
As for the menu, cheese is a must. Any variety will do but you should try to mix it up and have hard and soft cheeses of different potency. Stilton, brie, gouda, and havarti are good picks, but be adventurous and try others. You can also have other types of cocktail appetizers available, as well as bread and crackers to clean the palate between tastings.
Set the mood with candles and 'wine and dine' music and have a vacuum and stain remover on hand to clean up the unavoidable spills throughout the evening. When guests walk through the door bag the bottle immediately and give it an identifying letter or number. Place it on a side table along with the other bagged bottles until the tasting begins.
Serve some champagne or punch while everyone is arriving as you'll want to wait until everyone gets there to begin. Give your guests some kind of writing instruments, like pens and paper or pre-printed cards so they can judge the wines as they go. Have them rate each wine from 1 to 10, take a guess at what type of wine they are drinking, and what price range they think it is in.
When every bottle has been tapped and tasted, take the ballots and analyze the voting. Then you can announce who brought the best wine, who guessed the most right, etc. You can give out some prizes if you feel up to it and you want to make the evening even more interesting. A great first prizes include a Wine of the Month Club membership, a set of wine glasses, or a decent bottle of wine.
Serve some coffee to perk up those driving home and anything with chocolate in it as a fine finish to the event.
Maria Pietromonaco is the owner of http://clubsgalore.com, a monthly gift club company featuring premium wines, gourmet delicacies, coffee and tea, cakes and chocolates, gift and dinner cards and more.
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