Wine Tasting Party Ideas

[fatcatbrew]

I am hosting a wine tasting at my home and have never before. I am asking everyone to bring one bottle in the $10-20 range and asking them to bring some information about the wine they choose.

I am providing the glasses and the appetizers to accompany the wines.

Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated as I want this to be an interesting and fun event.

[Bicycle Lee]

I just did a wine tasting for 25 people on the 20th of Sept. We had four wines (2 white, 2 red) and each pair was relatively similar (same grapes). It was such a blast, but I also knew what wines were going to be there before I sculpted the menu. If you really want the food to be a perfect fit for the wine it would help to know what will be there. That is if you care about a deeper connection than just something like "Red=beef, lamb....White=Fish, chicken". I have a large list of wines/food pairings that I have compiled and if you want it, I can e mail it to you...

And one thing you should do for sure is have a champagne course first. It is not only traditional, but it is easy and fun. Just something as simple as a fruit and cheese course is good.

[fatcatbrew]

I am not going to have a wine tasting dinner - I plan to have an assortment of of finger foods - filet mignon on garlic toasts, salmon & creme fraiche canapes, Explorator & champagne grapes, etc. I guess I am looking for ideas on how to present the wines - Thanks for the tip on serving champagne first - that is a nice idea!

[tjaehnigen]

Ideally, it'd be nice to know what types of wine will be there. Varietal alone would help, like Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Whatever it is, it'd be helpful to know so you can play with the menu.

Another tip would be to serve lighter styled wines first and move progressively to heavier wines. A typical progression might be Champagnes, Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Syrah/Shirazs, Cabs, Stickies (dessert wines).

Another fun thing to do is to give everyone a theme -- like I did one for Bordeaux blends. I also told everyone to bring their wine wrapped in plain brown paper and we tasted the wines 'blind', which produced lots of fun. Plus, it can be surprising to you when you find out what you really like.

[Mark Sommelier]

The way to do it is to pick a theme. I always recommend this. The Champagne first suggestion is good. 8-10 people is the best. For a theme you can pick: grape variety from the same vintage, grape variety from the same area, same grapes from different areas, specific years . It is always best to include one much more expensive example of what is being tasted, so that people can see that cost usually means something.

[tommy]

i've enjoyed vertical tastings at home. pick the same wine from different years.

[thewineclip]

I am Dennis Lynch, co-founder of The Wine Clip. I think one way you can make your dinner party a huge success is with The Wine Clip. Without going into much detail, I invite you to check out the eGullet discussions that are going on right now.

People love to debate how it works etc.

If you'd like, I'll send you one for free.

To learn more go to www.thewineclip.com

-Dennis

[fatcatbrew]

ok, how can i go about trying one of these for free?

[Carolyn Tillie]

I am Dennis Lynch, co-founder of The Wine Clip.  I think one way you can make your dinner party a huge success is with The Wine Clip.  Without going into much detail, I invite you to check out the eGullet discussions that are going on right now.

People love to debate how it works etc.

If you'd like, I'll send you one for free.

To learn more go to www.thewineclip.com

-Dennis

And me, too! (Actually, I work for TWO different wineries [one in each valley])...

[thewineclip]

ok, how can i go about trying one of these for free?

email me your address and promise to use it at your party

dl@thewineclip.com

[slacker]

I am Dennis Lynch, co-founder of The Wine Clip.  I think one way you can make your dinner party a huge success is with The Wine Clip.

Ah yes of course.

Your party will also go with a swing if you buy wines from THIS BRILLIANT WINE SUPPLIER, but naturally I am biased, given that I profit from your purchases.

Mmm, I wonder.........is there a guarantee implicit in these words?

Also, another way to make your party a huge success is to invite me.

Damn! I can't find the emoticon for, oh yes here it is.

[jackal10]

My college tutor used to give a party for his students that was a blind tasting.

Six different bottles would be decanted or otherwise disguised (wrapped in silver foil).

The winner, that is the student who most accurately identified the wines, won a mixed half case.

Alas the days of such a liberal eduactioanl regime are passing..