Tips For Hosting A Wine Tasting Party

STEP 1 - Offer about 3-4 whites (ie. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, maybe a Dry Riesling), and/or 3-4 reds (ie. Cabernret, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah). A variation on this would be to stick to just one varietal, say Chardonnay or Cabernet - which, of course, might eliminate much of the confusion that can arise with newer tasters. But on the other hand, this also limits their exposure to all the other varietals on the market.

Label each bottle 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C with stickers or Post-it notes. Plan on a total of 1/3 bottle per person - that's probably a bit on the high side, depending upon the quantity of people and the mix of men/women. Thus, 12 people may only seem to require 4 bottles of wine, but, since 4 bottles won't give you much of a variety to choose from, I'm recommending 6-8. There'll be extra wine left at the end of the evening, but resist the temptation to send partial bottles home with guests - bad idea.

STEP 2 - Invite people to pour (or, you might wish to pour) very small 1/2-1 oz tastes of the wines one at a time. Set the wines up in the traditional order (white to red; light body to heavier body). This could look like: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel. You could add/substitute Pinot Noir for a red, or add White Zin for a "white." (Very controversial, but would probably be a crowd pleaser just to have it there.)

STEP 3 - On the table, place preprinted 3x5 cards (or smaller) that already have a space for the name of the wine and tasting comments. In the comments area of the cards, have printed the words: "sight," "smell," "taste," each followed by sufficient space for writing.

It's important that note-taking NOT be stressed too much, especially at novice tastings. This is often more of a social setting, rather than a die-hard taster meeting. People will be naturally shy and somewhat intimidated if a lot of thought on their part or note-taking is required. Often they will prefer to write nothing or to merely write down "okay," "real good," or "ugh."

STEP 4 - Invite discussion as necessary. "...Who liked wine 'A' best?" Or, "...which of the reds did you like best?"

STEP 5 - Have cheese, bread, crackers (hot snacks if you like), out and available. Ask the tasters to notice how different each wine tastes with and without food.