Beginner’s Guide to Hosting Wine Tasting Party

Wine tasting party is a very interesting activity that can be enjoyed with friends. As the name suggests, it’s practically a party where you try out different varieties of wines. But don’t just bring out the wine bottles and have everyone take a sip. There are a few things you should do to spice the party.

Recommended Types of Party for Beginners

There are eight recognized varieties of wine tasting parties but the following are highly recommended if this is just your first time:

• Horizontal Tasting – this is the easiest form of wine tasting. In gist, you’ll simply collect different varieties of wine produced from the same year.
• Vertical Tasting – this type of wine tasting focuses on the same producer instead of year. It could be a bit expensive especially when the brand featured commands a relatively higher price.
• Wine and Cheese Tasting – Learn how to combine different types of cheese with different varieties of wine. You need to research a bit so that you can effectively pair a cheese with wine.
• Chocolate and Wine Tasting – same as cheese but you should look for wine varieties that would taste as sweet as the chocolate or even better.

Once you have determined the type of party you want, it’s time to shop for the particular wine. At the least, look for 5 wine varieties so that you can have in depth experiences of each wine variety as you compare each flavor and aroma.

Food and Water

In a wine tasting party, it is important that your guests would keep a “clean” taste. This means no additional flavors should be experienced during the party. That is why bread and water are usually the only things you can server while tasting the varieties. You can serve light meal before and after the wine tasting. Water in between wine tasting can help remove the residual flavors.

Considering a Sommelier

If you have some extra funds, try to look for a sommelier. This is a person hired by restaurants because of their expertise in wines. He or she can help you with your wine selection for the party and properly introduce each wine to your guests. With the sommelier’s help, you can have a fun and educational wine tasting party.

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