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Tips for your Wine Tasting Party
Posted by
Amanda on 11/30/09
If you want an idea for a small get together with friends, why not enjoy a wine tasting party. This is a much easier party to put together than a huge banquet time dinner party and this type of party allows the guests to mingle and enjoy the company of the guest at the party. Along with this, you can enjoy visiting your guests instead of worrying if all the foods are going to be prepared on time and perfect.
You can choose wines from local wineries, other countries, or choose just one type of wine from various places. The idea is to enjoy the experience. You may wish to try all the wines from one winery, only red wines, or only Pinot Noir from different regions around the world. There are many different ways you can have your guests enjoy the party. You can allow them to know the wines they are sampling, provide them with wine cards so they can score each wine, or you can remove the labels and make your guests try to figure out as much as they can about that particular wine.
If you have never had a wine tasting party or even attended a wine tasting event, you can easily learn the way in which connoisseurs sample wine. If you are not sure about your guests wine knowledge, provide cards that explain the way in which to sample the various wines like the pros.
The first thing you will need to do is to look at the wine. Hold the stem of the glass; never touch the glass itself, as this will cause the wine to become warm from your own body heat. It is also best to hold the glass at a 45-degree angle away from your body. The wine should be clear.
Next, swirl the wine in the glass to release the vapors so you can slowly inhale the aroma. The aroma should be a bit intense and provide you with an image of flowers, spices, or even wood according to many different aspects of the creation of the wine. Now, take a sip. Swirl the wine around in your mouth. Be sure the wine touches the back of your throat without swallowing. Gargling just a bit is proper to allow the wine to hit the back of the throat as well as the sinuses. Now, spit out the wine. I know, you want to swallow. However, you are sampling, not drinking. The taste should linger and be pleasant. Now, you can make a decision about the wine and decide which of the wines served at the party you truly wish to enjoy one glass of wine. Some wine parties also have appetizers, cheese, or other snacks to enhance the experience.
For your first wine tasting party, it would more than likely be better if you stick with wines that go well with cheese. Mild cheese enhances the flavor of white wines such as Chenin Blanc, Gewurz traminer, Dry Riesling, White Riesling, and Sauv. Blanc whereas white wines such as Chardonnay goes well with strong cheese. Other wines that go well with strong cheese include red wines like Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel, and Port.
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