Hosting a wine tasting party.

While its no secret that I love to entertain I’ll admit when my husband threw out the idea of a wine tasting party as the theme for our next get together I had some serious doubts. For some reason it brought to mind a really stuffy and dull evening, but Dave is really into wine in a serious way and I was willing to give it a try. So the planning began!

I started to think about how to incorporate the guests and more importantly how to make it fun. We considered the idea of assigning a grape varietal to each couple but after some discussion decided on a country/region. After making a list of the couples who were attending, each of them were given a country and guidelines to make it easier. Our rules were quite simple; bring 1 or 2 bottles red/white from their country that cost no more than $25.00 ea. In addition to this they were asked to bring a food pairing dish to make up the grazing table for after the tasting.

There is a ton of information on the internet so all that was left was a little research. I had most of what was needed around my home and the rest I purchased believe it or not from my local dollar store! Here is a list of items that made the night easier:

• Wine glasses…duh! Well enough for at least 1 per guest and something to distinguish each guests glass like a wine charm.
• Spitoon/rinsing containers – something to dump out wine and water after rinsing, I used a champagne bucket.
• Accessories – opener, spill collar, stoppers, napkins etc…
• Pitcher for water – used to rinse out glasses and for anyone who want a quick drink.
• Crackers – I did not have enough and they are perfect for cleansing the palate in between each type.
• Paper/bag covers – only necessary if you are conducting a blind tasting to hide the label.
• Wine tasting forms and pens – there are lots on the internet, I used them to make my own & printed them here.

We decided on 5 blind tastings, 1 from each region which were California, Italy, France, Spain & the Niagara Region. There was some nervousness at first, a few of us were making light of not really knowing anything etc. I have to say as each one was done it got really interesting. People came out of their shell (could have been the alcohol) but we were talking, learning, sharing and it was a really great night. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to do something different with friends. After that we put the food on the table and opened all of the other wines to share and discuss. I then took all of the score cards and determined the most and least favourite bottles of the night and revealed all of the ones we had tasted. 

All in all a wonderful evening. I had no doubt that our friends would get into it and they did not let me down, delicious food dishes, thoughtful wine choices and all eager to participate and learn with each other. What more could you want? So what are you waiting for? Gather some friends a few bottles of hooch and get tasting!

By the way the clear winner? A bottle of 2006 Perrin & Fils  Vacqueyras from France…75% Grenache & 25% Syrah..beautiful!

*photos from the event taken by my husband the very talented Dave Mitchell..http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycledave/