Tips for Throwing a Wine Tasting Party

Having a wine tasting at your home can be a really good time. It's a great way to gather with friends, welcome them to your new home or celebrate baby's first sleepover at Grandma's. All you need is a few bottles of wine and some perfect appetizers and deserts to host a great wine tasting party this summer.

My suggestion for a wine tasting would be a simple comparison tasting between the different types of red and white wines. You'll need to purchase about eight bottles of wine for four couples or eight people. The types of wine to select include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, merlot and Shiraz, which are all red wines and Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, which are all white wines. Buy the wines you particularly enjoy or ask the clerk at the state store to assist you in selecting good wines.

You'll need glasses, and lots of them; enough for each guest to taste each wine once without having to wash any glasses. If you don't own this many glasses, you can simply purchase plastic stemware, which is not nearly as nice as true glassware but it's good in a pinch and when you're on a budget.

Snacks and finger foods are good for these types of parties because you don't want your guests to get too full, but you also don't want them drinking all that wine on an empty stomach. Cheese is a traditional accompaniment to wine, as is chocolate. Your grocery stores specialty cheese shop carries a wide variety of decent cheeses that can be paired with different wine varieties. A visit to a local candy store will supply you with various chocolates to serve with your wines as well.

My favorite appetizer for wine tasting events is the Brie Purse. Simply use thawed, refrigerator crescent roll dough and place a Brie wheel in the center of each along with a dollop of fig preserves. Wrap the crescent dough up and around the cheese and place on a cookie sheet. You will have about 12-16 wheels from one Brie wheel and one package of crescent rolls. Bake them according to the manufacturer's instructions for the crescent rolls. Serve with honey mustard as a dipping sauce.

Desserts to go along with the chocolates should be light and fresh. Fruit salad in small bakery tarts is a delicious dessert, as is an assortment of mini-cheesecakes or cookies from your local bakery. An assortment of mixed nuts is also a welcomed treat at any party or event.

You'll want to keep your decorations and music selection classy and elegant. Simple white linens and classical music are wonderful choices, you want your guests to feel pampered as well as comfortable.