Wine Tasting Parties: Top 10 Tips For Surefire Success

sting parties are a great way to celebrate justin keeping the quality of wines narrow. This will be
about any occasion, and have become a growinga nice detail that your quests will be sure to
trend. One of the key reasons for their popularityappreciate.
is that they often provide a fun, relaxedTip #5: Have Enough Glasses
atmosphere in which wine enthusiasts can learnMake sure that you have enough wine glasses for
about and explore different wines.everyone in the party. The key here is to have
These parties should be about asking questions,additional glasses in reserve. Having a these set
experimenting with new wines, and having fun.aside will help to keep from situations that could
However, you might be surprised to find thatotherwise be a bit uncomfortable.
wine tasting parties can also be enlightening whileTip #6: Do A Bit Of Homework
simultaneously being a very fun way to entertainSince you will be the host of the wine tasting
and make friends.party, you should be able to answer some basic
With a little planning and creativity it’s easyquestions your guests may have about the wines
to host a wine-tasting party that’s sure tothey are tasting. You don't have to know every
impress your guests as well as yourself. Here aresingle fact about every wine selection, but being
some tips that will be sure to make your firstable to answer some basic questions for your
wine tasting party a smashing success.quests will definitely help to add to their
Tip #1: Decide A Themeenjoyment of your wine tasting party. People
The first step to having a wine tasting party isoften enjoy themselves very much as they try
deciding the theme. There is no limit for thenew wines. Oftentimes they wold like to be able
theme that you select. You could choose to haveto find that same selection again.
the theme be a specific country, in which winesTip #7: Select The Proper Number Of Guests
from that country will be featured. Another optionYou will need to consider how many people to
would be to select a theme based on the seasonsinvite. This will help to make your wine tasting
or holidays. Regardless of what you select, theparties a success because the proper number will
theme for your party will definitely set the tonehelp to enhance the social element while, at the
for the entire occasion.same time, may it enjoyable for everyone
Tip #2: Greet Each Guestwithout exhausting your resources. On average,
As the host of your wine tasting parties, youmid-sized wine tasting parties are about 15 people.
should be there to greet all your guests as theyWhen deciding how much wine to buy for your
arrive. It may be a good idea to give each personparty, keep in mind that for tasting purposes,
a brief “overview” of the layout so thateach pour should be about two ounces.
they will be able to easily find the restrooms, wineTip #8: Provide Dump Buckets For Discarded
glasses, drinking water, dump buckets, etc.Wine
As the host it will be your responsibility to makeGuests may not finish the entire sample of wine.
the evening easy for your guests. Greeting themIt is a good idea to have pitchers or empty
as they arrive will start the night off on the rightbuckets for discarded wine. Also be sure to keep
foot.a pitcher of water at room temperature next to
Tip #3: Make It Sociableeach dump bucket to allow guests to rinse their
One of the best wine tasting party experiencescups after they have discarded the unused wine.
happens when guests are able to integrateYou will also probably want to provide a container
learning about wine as they enjoy themselvesfor the unused water too.
socially. In fact, wine tasting parties are excellentTip #9: Provide Plenty Of Drinking Water
settings to make new friends. Be sure not toBelieve it or not, wine tasting can make you
invite too many, or too few people (see tip # 7thirsty. For this reason, it is helpful to have bottled
below). You will want to have a fair amount ofwater on hand. Bottled water can also be useful
familiar faces mixed together with new ones.for guests that want to rinse their mouths
Tip #4: Select a Price Rangebetween wine samples.
When choosing which wines you should use forTip #10: Have Lots Of Fun And Relax
your wine tasting party it is important toThrowing a wine tasting parties can be fun. It will
remember that the wines that you choose shouldbe memorable by making sure that the whole
be in the same price range from one another.experience is something that your guests will
Keeping the range of prices narrow usually resultsenjoy.