A quick note: This article is for the wine lovers who follow us, to help them manage all the bottles they received over the holidays (and that have survived!)
We found this article from Wine Folly that will help you organize a wine-tasting dinner at home, offering advice on choosing wines and food to make it a huge success.
- Choose 4 to 6 wines that share a common theme
- Make sure you have at least 2 glasses per guest
- Make sure the room is well-lit and the wines are at the right temperature
Tastings where the wines share a common theme are the most enjoyable and educational. Here are a few examples:
- The same type of wine produced in two different countries or regions
- A wine produced in the same region but by different producers
- The Same Wine in Different Vintages
How much wine should I pour?
A standard tasting involves pouring half the usual serving size (about 75–90 ml), so a bottle of wine yields about 10 glasses.
What do you need?
Wine, a corkscrew, wine glasses (preferably identical), water, napkins, a placemat (preferably white), breadsticks, a spittoon or similar container, and a decanter for vintage red wines.
What should I do?
Before your guests arrive, be sure to decant the vintage red wine if you plan to serve it for tasting, and check the temperature of the white wines. Set the table for each guest and set up a corner with an aperitif—which will be your first wine of the evening—so you can welcome your guests as soon as they arrive.
A few tips:
Start with the basics: to pair wine with food, ask your trusted wine shop or the producer directly. At professional tastings, only breadsticks or crackers are usually served; otherwise, a small self-service corner is set up with quick and simple finger foods.
Start with an aperitif: it’s a great way to break the ice; your guests will relax and start getting into the spirit of the evening.
Allow at least 15 minutes per wine so that guests have plenty of time to taste it, evaluate it, and discuss it.
Print out the technical sheets for each wine you find on the producer’s website; this information will be useful for answering guests’ questions during the tasting.
Our idea:
A blind tasting of our wines, during which guests are asked to identify the grape variety used. I wonder if everyone will guess that all five are made from Garganega grapes. Let us know!
