If you are a wine lover, or want to become one, here are some tips on how to host a basic wine-tasting. You can make your tasting event as simple or as clarify as you wish. Stick with what you know and enjoy about wines and have fun tasting and socializing. As the host, it is up to you to determine the guidelines or ground rules, so read these tips, spend what works for you and add your hold ideas.
Invite your guests and have them bring a bottle of wine. It may be preferable to have them bring a wine that they have never tried before, or one that they don't know very well. That way, they won't recognize theirs easily and will get the chance to try something new. You can even set a price limit and help your guests find wines that are more approachable, budget-wise. You may settle to stick with all red wines, all white wines, or all of one varietal (Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz, etc.). Give your guests guidelines and then begin planning how you will execute the tasting.
You may want to read up on different wine lingo. You can offer your guests the lingo and explanation of different wine terms. For example when a wine has "legs" it refers to the way the wine sticks to the glass when swirled. You could print or write similar terms so your guests have some vocabulary to use as they taste.
You may want to disguise the bottles that your guests bring. You can do this using cloth wine gift bags sold in stores (often a drawstring style), or you can purchase bags designed particularly for tastings. Many wine-related companies sell wine tasting kits, which include bags to disguise your wines, as well as helpful checklists and information on different types of wines. Disguising the bottles will assist guests to keep an open mind and really savor the smells and tastes of each wine. Once wines are disguised, line them up and establish each bottle a number. The number will be helpful if you want guests to vote on their current wine, but it is also helpful for guests to be able to identify and discuss which wines they've tried and how they liked them.
Have a variety of wine glasses available, if possible. Many wine enthusiasts will tell you that different wines taste different depending on the type of glass you drink them from. Also, having many glasses available will allow your guests to try a current glass if they have just tasted one wine, a red for example, and they are about to taste a very different type of wine, a white or sparkling wine. Sometimes trying a novel glass is easier than rinsing and drying your venerable one.
As the host, you may want to contribute a few wines to the tasting, so that when the first few guests arrive, there are some wines available for tasting. It's nice to wait until all the wines arrive before you begin, but it isn't always practical, and it's best to be prepared.
If you would like your guests to vote on their favorite, develop some kind of voting system. One way is to list the numbered wines, and have guests tally their choices. Allow them to tally more than one if you wish. Another view is to set out bowls with the number of each wine listed or taped to each bowl. Set out candies or another snack for guests to use as "tokens". Have them drop a token into the wines they enjoyed most. You could use a snack like oyster crackers, as they would also serve as a plain cracker to aid cleanse the pallet in between sips. Keep a big bowl of them by the tasting station and allow guests to snack on them and use them as voting tokens!
If you feel more comfortable or familiar with the wines that will be served for the tasting, you could try serving foods that might typically be paired with those wines. It may be best to keep it simple if you are just trying a tasting for the first time. If that is the case, just succor some water crackers and plain cheeses for guests to munch on while they taste. You can always serve dinner or other snacks after the tasting.
As the tasting progresses and guests being to score their favorites, you may want to have the guests try to guess some information about the wines. You could have them guess the varietal (Zinfandel, Pinot Grigio, Shiraz, etc) or have them guess what country the wine is from. You can adjust this based on your contain knowledge of wine, and the atmosphere of your event.
Let the tasting continue for as long as the wine holds out or about an hour or so. Reveal the wines and let guests know which one was the well-liked. You could also offer a favor or prize to the guest who brought the best-loved wine. Be certain to follow-up with your guests and let them know the names and vineyards of the wines they tried. They may be eager to check them out at their local wine store.
