Looking to Host You Own Wine-Tasting Party?

Hosting a wine tasting party isn't a science but it isn't just putting out glasses and crackers either. This article will give you a breakdown of guidelines that will assist you to make sure that your party is one that will be remembered.

To get this party on track to success you will obviously need wine, wine glasses, paper cups, plain crackers or bread, water, tasting sheets, pencils, paper bags which is optional and another optional thing, a prize.

Start the whole planning by picking a theme. After you have the theme down, you can contrast whites and reds from your region. Your goal should be to compare wines that are made from the same grape but harvested in different locations or are from different years. You can also focus on a specific wine producer and buy several of their wines to compare at the wine-tasting.

Take into consideration that one bottle of wine will suffice five to six glasses, or about 18 people if it will only be a tasting.

Providing the right type of glasses is essential. Smaller glasses are for white wine while the opposite applies to red wine which has more of a bowl shape. You should have paper cups available for guests to use as spittoons.

Stay away from colored or cut crystal glasses, you want to make sure that your guests are able to see the wine clearly. This is one of the main aspects of a wine-tasting event.

Don't forget to chill the white wines before serving, for better results start chilling them about an hour before it will be served, you don't want the whites too cold. As far as the red wine, serve it at cellar and not room temperature, this would be around 55 to 58 degrees. If you had the reds stored in a warm room you can put them in the fridge for a few minutes before serving.

Have water at everyone's disposition as well as plain crackers or bread, this way your guests will be able clear the palate between tastings. Food should be served when the wine tasting is done to avoid overwhelming the palate with too much flavor at once. After all the main focus is the wine.

Make sure that you give your guests tasting sheets with a pencil so they can take notes as they taste, and learn which type is their personal favorite. The goals is to learn which wine soothes their palate the most, allowing them to take the experience with them in notes will make it a fun and learning experience.

As far as how much you should pour, a third of a glass of the first wine is ideal. If you're planning on serving both reds and whites, start with whites. Move from the lightest bodied wine to the fullest.

Understanding the color of a wine is very important, for example a white wine is clear while a full-bodied red wine should have a rich and deep color.

If you want to make it even more interesting and fun, stick the wine in paper bags so everyone can guess what they're drinking. You can also play a game where each one rates the wines from the most inexpensive to the priciest, to make it more interesting you can reward the person the guesses more accurately with a prize.

The proper way to begin the wine tasting is by swirling the wine in the glass and then taking a big sniff to capture the aroma. Compare everyone's notes and see what each person detects, for example is it fruity, herbal, spicy, floral, or earthy scents they capture.

Guide your guests by advising them to take some air into their mouth as they sip, then have them swirl the wine around in their mouth for about 7 to 10 seconds before taking a swallow or spitting it. Follow these steps and you will become the perfect wine-tasting host, making your party one to remember. Cheers and to a good time!