The luxury of a wine tasting seems like it’s an event only for those who live in Napa Valley, Fredericksburg, or Italy, but instead of dreaming of those other places, you could be planning your very own wine tasting at home. Whether you’re looking to transform your space and become a sommelier for the evening or you want a more low-key approach, this article will guide you through every step. This is a perfect party to host for your girls, and it’s just in time for Galentine’s Day.
Items you will need:
- About 5-8 bottles of wine, depending on your party size
- Wine glasses
- Writing utensil
- Note cards
- Water
- Snacks
If you’re hosting a smaller group (five people), grab one bottle of each type of wine you’ll be pouring. The larger the group size, the more wine you’ll need. For a more affordable option, consider having each person at your party bring a bottle of wine. Be sure each guest selects a different bottle so there are no duplicates. A good tip for selecting wines is to feature a sparkling or rosé, two white wines and three reds. Feel free to tweak this if your group prefers a certain type of wine. Now that you have the wine, it’s time to find the proper drinkware. For sparkling wines, use a flute and for all others, use a wide-rimmed glass so you can swirl and sniff.
Speaking of swirling and sniffing, a fun detail to add to your tasting is to have note cards and writing utensils for your guests to take notes, comments and other observations. For our more chill hosts, simply grab some cardstock note cards. For the hosts who want to go the extra step, you can easily print out pre-designed cards from Canva, Pinterest or Etsy.
While you and your guests are enjoying the various wines, be sure to drink water and eat snacks to cleanse your palate. Each wine has notes that complement foods such as potato chips and Parmesan cheese for a Brut, brie or a cream-based dip for a Chardonnay and dark chocolate or salami for a Merlot. For a deeper dive into wine and food pairings, The Wine Enthusiast has a wonderful guide on their website: wineenthusiast.com/basics.
With all of your items in place, it’s time to taste! As the host, walk through the Five S’s of wine tasting with your guests. It is recommended that you allow 15-20 minutes for each wine tasting and food pairing.
- See. Observe the wine’s visual qualities.
- Swirl. Grab the stem of the glass and do a gentle swirl. This extra boost of oxygen allows the wine to open up.
- Sniff/smell. Observe what you smell.
- Sip. Take a sip of your wine and take in all of the flavor.
- Savor. Enjoy your wine.
As your friends sip and savor, feel free to give insight on the wine about where it’s made, specific notes, or if it has a special story for you. Other ways hosts can bring this party up a notch are to play fitting music, decorate for Galentine’s, make it a blind tasting and create a specific theme for the wine selection. Examples of themes could be A Night in Italy featuring only Italian wines, Lone Star Roundup highlighting Texan wines, or for Galentine’s, you could pick wines made only by women.
Wine tasting can be intimidating for some, but hopefully this guide has given you every step to take away the stress and enjoy a well-deserved evening with your girl friends. Use this as a roadmap for your party or tweak it in any way to fit you and your group. Just remember to savor your friendships and then do the same for the wine.
Just remember to savor your friendships and then do the same for the wine.