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Nothing beats a party-with-a-purpose, and a wine-tasting is arguably the best of the bunch.
Hosting a wine-tasting gives your guests a chance to evaluate wines side by side and lets you create an event people will remember with fondness.
Like any party, a wine-tasting can be casual or sophisticated. Match the gathering to your crowd, and you won’t go wrong.
“Our wine-tasting party for a group we go to dinner with regularly was as simple as each couple bringing a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine,” says Larry Johnson of Urbana. “Each bottle was concealed in a bag with a number and my wife, Sharon, and I had score cards for people to rate the wines.”
He adds with a chuckle, “We enjoyed the experience, but all agree it was too many bottles.”
Formal or casual, keep your guest list at no more than a dozen people and prepare for the evening. Five different wines is a good amount; have enough wine for approximately 1½ ounces per sample per guest.
Often a host will have three reds and two whites. Start with a lighter, sweeter wine such as a Riesling, then work up to a Cabernet.
“Wine-tasting parties sometimes feature wines from one country, such as all Spanish wines, or you can offer one type of wine but from different regions, so your guests can compare a Cabernet from Napa Valley (Calif.) to, say, Cabernets from France and Italy,” suggest Rod Martino of Miami Valley Wine & Spirits in Tipp City.
Area wine merchants are happy to help you make selections. Learn about the wines to share information with guests.
But don’t hesitate to ask your guests to bring a bottle of wine. It can be a potluck approach or ask each person to follow a guideline such as “your favorite bottle of white wine under $20.”
Number the wines, writing each number on the label. Or, mask each bottle with a numbered bag for a blind tasting.
For a formal approach, a set of glasses is arranged in a semicircle in front of each seated guest, to enjoy what’s known as a tasting flight. The glass on each person’s far left is glass number 1.
Pour each wine into the corresponding glasses, and let guests sniff, swirl and taste. Some people swallow; others spit into a disposable cup. To clear the palate between tastings, have small cubes of bread or bland crackers available.
Sometimes guests are given a scorecard to rate a wine. Sampling of all wines can occur before discussion begins, or have people make comments after each glass.
You can prepare food to complement each wine, known as pairings, such as serving a bit of steak on a small toast with a young Cabernet Sauvignon.
But mostly, hosts offer fruit, crackers, cheese or simple hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening.
Louis Cesarini and Scott Simon host well-known wine-tastings in their Warren County home, often with themes, music, food and printed menus. They certainly have the setting for it, with a wine cellar and tasting kitchen offering space to accommodate 16 guests. A racking system of California redwood displays the couple’s extraordinary collection of wines, up to 1,500 bottles, from Napa Valley, South Africa, France and other points around the globe. The most expensive bottle in the collection is a $3,000 double magnum of Rubicon 1994.
“We love having friends, neighbors and fellow wine aficionados for a wine-tasting,” says Cesarini. “We often have a chef here preparing food, so all of us learn more about pairing.”
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