Gather a group of friends and a few bottles. Open, taste and enjoy.
Some of the best wine experiences we’ve had have been home wine tastings. Whether you’re just starting to get interested in wine or you’re a seasoned connoisseur, hosting a wine tasting at home offers a great way to increase your wine knowledge. Plus, it’s just plain fun – the perfect set-up to enjoy wine in a comfortable environment. It’s simple: gather a group of friends and a few bottles. Open, taste and enjoy.
Wine tasting does not have to mean formal. In truth, the most memorable do-ityourself tastings we’ve attended (and hosted) have been casual affairs. If your circle of friends is more wine wary than savvy, an informal event often proves more inviting.
THEME YOUR TASTING
The first step is choosing a theme for your tasting. Filtering the wide world of wine into a palatable niche will give your tasting better focus. Two general formats that never let a crowd down are focusing on one particular wine country or region or limiting wines by type, for example, Merlot. Alternatively, go the bang-for-buck route and set a price point to hold a value bottle showdown. Announce the theme and ask each guest or couple to bring a bottle that fits. This will get everyone in on the fun from the onset.
BE PREPARED
On tasting day, be prepared with glasses, tasting sheets and pens at the ready. Food is always a good idea, whether you want to centralize appie preparation yourself, cater in, or opt for a potluck. It’s a nice touch to coordinate the food with the wine theme and cheese plates never go unnoticed. Also, remember to make sure you have enough wine glasses! In an informal environment, one glass per person is sufficient, though you may want to allow for two glasses each: one for whites and one for reds.
TASTING WITH A TWIST
As guests arrive, add a twist to the tasting. After exchanging pleasantries, squire the arriving wines away into an empty room or out of the way spot. To avoid bottle bias and add to the fun, the wines are going to be tasted blind – you don’t want everyone to know what’s being sipped until the end of the tasting. When all wines are accounted for, sneak off and cover the bottles, wrapping each in a brown paper bag fastened around the bottleneck with tape or ribbon. Use a felt marker to “name” each wine after a guest in attendance.
Now, bring the bottles out and get your swirl on. Pass around tasting sheets and writing utensils and let the tasting begin! It’s best to taste each wine together as a group, commenting openly as you go along. A couple of ounces per wine is a sufficient amount for tasting; you can always go back for seconds later. After a sniff, swirl and sip, jot down your thoughts. It can be as easy as a thumbs up or down or paragraph prose – spitting is optional.
Let the wine discussion roll. With the wines named after tasters in attendance, you’ll be surprised at how creative – not to mention personal – the comments can get, particularly as the evening carries on. After all wines have been tasted, it’s time for the big reveal. Remove the paper bags, disclose the wines and their prices and let the group revisit their favourite bottles.
Finally, at the end of the night, don’t forget to decide on a theme and a host for the next tasting. Plus, make sure all the DIY wine tasters have arranged for a safe ride home.
SAMPLE TASTING ONE: BASIC WHITES
For novices, one of the most exciting aspects of wine is the sheer variety available. The best way to get to know the wine spectrum is to taste various styles side-by-side. This helps build appreciation as well as enjoyment, as tasters come to define their individual wine preferences. A great starting point is to sip on some basic whites.
SAMPLE TASTING TWO: MERLOT AROUND THE WORLD
The “young blackbird” grape (the literal French translation) has unfortunately become the black sheep of the wine world. Put the blame on the movie Sideways or wine trends in general, either way it’s unfortunate that this noble grape has been notably maligned. Time to rekindle a romance with Merlot.
