Wine tasting parties are becoming very popular and it is a fun and easy way to enjoy and learn about wine.
Here are a few tips on hosting a informal and fun wine party
Wine tasting tips
- Twelve to sixteen people is about right for one of these wine tasting parties.
- One bottle of wine can easily be poured in small amounts for 12 to 16 people.
- Four to six wines for comparison and rating is about the right number.
- Set a theme for the wine tasting.
- Bag and number your wines in order to hide the brand identity
- Pour about 50ml -60ml of wine in each glass.
- Use our easy scoring sheet to score the wine. Then repeat with the next bottle of wine.
Entertaining tips
-Provide simple hors d’oeuvres for the guests. Mild cheeses and crackers are a good choice. They help neutralize the palate between wines.
- Collect the scoring sheet and tally the scores.
- Return scoring sheets to each individual.
- Announce the results.
- Schedule the next wine tasting.
Wine tasting themes
- Taste six Merlot (or any cultivar) wines under R50 from any region. The idea in this tasting is to find a bargain Merlot wine. In other words to find the best value wine
- Taste six Shiraz wines between R40 and R60 from different wine regions -Robertson, Paarl, Stellenbosch, etc. The idea in this tasting is to discover the characteristic of each of these important wine regions.
- Taste six Chardonnay wines ranging in price from R35 to R140. The idea in this tasting is to discover the differences in quality among a wide price range.
Score Sheets
Use a simple score sheet were every wine is rated on a 1-5 scale
Remember:
Look - Best wines are clear and brilliant
Smell - Best wines have intense aromas
Taste – Best wines have complex structure and flavors
Swallow- Best wines have a flavorful aftertaste that lingers
To download a scorecard:
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