Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Preparation
• Part 2 of 2: Putting the plan into action
• Tips

Organizing a wine party is a great way to have fun with your friends. If you are fed up with monotonous parties with a bunch of pathetic bread chips and light beers, then you need to change everything and have a wine tasting party in the comfort of your home. You will need some supplies, a little knowledge, and a willingness to try something new. If you are interested in making your wine party even more successful than the Fertile Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, then follow the instructions below.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Preparation

1. 1 Choosing a theme. An important part of organizing a wine party is the selection of wines to be tasted. There is no right answer that will satisfy all guests or make the party perfect, but there are some assumptions:
   • Take wine samples from one region such as Fertile Valley, Santa Barbara Wine Country, Valley of Willamette, Rioja, New Zealand, South of France. Try varietal wines from different parts of the world, for example, drink only Cabernet Sauvignon made in the Fertile Valley, France or Argentina.
   • Taste wines one year old. Try Chardonnay 2012 from around the world. Although it can be difficult to find.
   • Taste one winemaker's wines. If you like Robert Mondavi, Cakebread, Stegs Leap, Dacorn, try different wines of this winemaker.
   • Collect only red, white, sparkling, or dessert wine samples. Remember, dessert wines are sweeter and harder to taste.
2. 2 Prepare food. During the tasting, nothing is eaten other than bread or crackers, which are needed to remove the aftertaste. You need to decide if you want to serve light snacks to your guests before the tasting, serve dinner afterwards, or serve snacks and desserts after the tasting. Ideally, some snacks should still be prepared so that guests do not get drunk due to the lack of something to absorb alcohol.
   • Guests can be warned in advance so they know if it's worth coming in with a full stomach or if they can have a snack at the party.
3. 3 Prepare the correct wine glasses. It is unlikely that you will be able to serve a different glass to your guests before each new wine tasting. It is quite possible to prepare one glass per guest. If desired, prepare one tall, narrow glass for white wine and a large, round glass for red.
   • Glasses should be on a stem so that guests do not heat the wine with their hands.
   • Glasses must be clean so that guests can see the color of the wine.
4. 4 Collect what you need. There are several accessories, besides the glasses, that you will need to organize your wine tasting. Here are a few to get you started:
   • Naturally wine. Choose your wine according to the topic. First, it is good to stock up on wines of different price categories, from cheap to expensive, if you can afford it. Make sure you have enough wine for your guests - one bottle can fill a glass 5 times, or enough for 6-10 people.
   • Stock up on a corkscrew if it breaks.
   • Corkscrew.
   • Spittoon. This can be either a large plate in the center of the table, or small paper cups for each guest.
   • Ice bucket for chilling white wine. This saves you the hassle of running to the refrigerator.
   • White tablecloth or white napkins. Allows guests to see the entire palette of wine colors.
   • Tastings map. This will help guests distinguish between wines and record impressions. Great maps can be found on the internet.
   • Wine aerator or decanter. Releases the aroma of red wine.
   • Bread or cracker for a snack between tastings.
   • Cups of cold water for guests and a jug of water on the table.
5. 5 Invite guests. The ideal number of people for a wine tasting party is 6 to 12 people. If you have a nice, large dining table, invite as many people as they can to stand around it freely. You don't want people to lean over others and feel uncomfortable. If you strive for excellence, you can send out beautiful invitations by mail or over the Internet.
   • Try inviting people with similar knowledge about wine. If everyone is little knowledgeable, this is normal, but it will be strange if at least one person does not know anything at all, or there is one expert who is trying to teach everyone to wisdom.
6. 6 Choose the right time. A wine tasting party can be organized at any time of the year. If you stick with the theme, white wine can be tasted in summer and red in winter. Plus, if no one really eats during the tasting, as this can affect the taste of the wine, it is better to invite guests at 4 pm when they do not want to have dinner yet, or after they have eaten, for example, at 9 pm. it might be a little late though.

Part 2 of 2: Putting the plan into action

1. 1 Put everything on the table. Arrange the bottles of wine so guests can see what to taste and become interested in the evening ahead. If the table is not large enough, arrange the wine in a prominent place. Prepare glasses, water, napkins, cracker, bread, and paper cups or spittoon for guests.
   • Do not put flowers or scented candles. A strong smell can make it difficult to recognize a wine's aroma. Give preference to grapes.
2. 2 Improve your tasting technique. It doesn't take a lot of effort to taste a wine and look like an expert. Just tell your guests what they are going to drink, give them glasses and ask them to shake the wine a little so that it "breathes", then smell it to smell it.Next, take a small sip of wine, shake it in your mouth for a few seconds and either swallow it or spit it out.
3. 3 Start tasting your wine. When it comes to wine, order matters. Start with the lightest and work your way up to the strongest, so work your way from light white to dark. If you have dessert wine on your menu, try it at the very end, even if it is lighter than some red wines.
   • Similar wines, for example, the same varietal wines of 2011 and 2012, must be tasted one after the other.
4. 4 Give people time to take notes. Let people write down their impressions. People may be ashamed of their feelings, as they do not consider themselves experts, do your best to make them comfortable. Give people time to think, and this will allow them to form their own opinion, without outside influence. Here's a list of things to look out for:
   • Smell and aroma. You need to write down any smell or aroma that comes to mind, it is either blackberry, honey, lemon, chocolate, pear, earth or pomegranate.
   • Texture and weight. Your wine: light and invigorating, highly viscous, tart or soft.
   • Balance. Does the wine consist of a mild mixture of aromas, or does one aroma, such as oak or tannin, dominate the drink?
   • The ending. Observe if the wine settles on the palate or disappears right after you swallow it. Good wine should have an aftertaste.
5. 5 Don't just translate wine. If you are planning to organize a classic tasting, then take care of the tranquility, competence and comfort of your guests. If you bustle around without any sense, guests will not take the party seriously and will stop paying attention to you. On the contrary, they will spit out more wine than you drink and wait until the tasting is over to start drinking wine, if that was your plan.
6. 6 Come up with a game ending. If you want to make your tasting extraordinary, play a fun game in which you hide a bottle of wine in a brown bag and pour the guest without revealing the brand of wine. The winner will receive a prize or recognition that he is the best expert taster.
7. 7 Set the table. If you want to continue the party and not get drunk, you need to prepare your food. Additional desserts can be served if the time is right. (If the guests get hungry during the tasting, it is better to serve something that will keep the mood and keep them from getting drunk). Here are some suggestions for food that pairs well with wine:
   • Melon prosciutto
   • Cheese
   • Light pear salad
   • Chocolate
   • Fruit compote
   • Open pie

Tips

• The choices are endless and the potential for fun is huge!