{"id":2832,"date":"2014-09-26T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/?p=2832"},"modified":"2019-07-08T13:11:57","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T20:11:57","slug":"host-successful-wine-tasting-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/host-successful-wine-tasting-party\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Host a Successful Wine Tasting Party"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Looking back at my past 40 years as a wine enthusiast, I can safely say that I\u2019ve seen my fair share of wine tasting parties. A common theme I\u2019ve noticed over the years is that many of the hosts of these parties tend to overthink them, and put too much of the focus on the details. The format of the party, the wine glasses used, the way the host collects feedback; all of these things should be secondary aspects of the party. The true ingredients of a successful wine tasting party are simple: good wine and good people.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5448.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-2840\" src=\"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5448-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"_M7A5448\" width=\"247\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5448-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5448-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 247px) 100vw, 247px\" \/><\/a>What supplies &amp; tools you\u2019ll need for your Wine Tasting Party:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00bd a bottle of wine per guest is ideal \u2013 supply your own or have everyone bring a bottle or two<\/li>\n<li>Clean, clear wine glasses \u2013 I prefer Riedel<\/li>\n<li>A couple of wine openers and a corkscrew as backup<\/li>\n<li>A bucket or spittoon to dump out the excess wine<\/li>\n<li>Simple wine tasting sheets so that guests can jot down comments<\/li>\n<li>A camera to photograph the wine labels<\/li>\n<li><em>Optional: Bottled water<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Optional: <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/food-and-wine-pairing.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Food pairings<\/em><\/a><em> like cheese and crackers, chocolate, fruit, etc.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Optional: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/to-decant-or-not-to-decant-wine\/\">Decanter<\/a> for red wine<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Optional: Ice bucket for white wine<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Step 1: Invite the Right Guests<\/h3>\n<p>Choosing an eclectic group of people for your wine tasting party will help your party run itself, especially by the time everyone is on their third or fourth wine. The key here is to invite people with varying tastes and degrees of experience with wine. That way, newbies can comfortably learn about wine from more experienced enthusiasts, and the more experienced enthusiasts can happily banter about the wine selections.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Decide on a Theme<\/h3>\n<p>Although choosing a theme isn\u2019t required, it can definitely help your guests pick the right type of wine for their palate. I\u2019d recommend going with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/wine-region-guide.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wines by region or appellation<\/a>. Some other common themes are new world vs. old world wines and blind tastings. A note about blind tasting, however \u2013 although much can be learned through blind tastings, especially among seasoned wine drinkers, I have never found blind tastings contribute much fun to a wine party. Instead, they usually make people defensive and competitive. Therefore, I would skip the blind tasting in favor of a more fun activity.<\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Serve, Taste &amp; Enjoy<\/h3>\n<p>The best way to educate the palate, enjoy wine and preserve an air of mystery is to serve premium wines from wineries, varietals and places that your guests will not likely have tasted or seen before.\u00a0 This way, the tasting party can be both fun and mysterious without making guests apprehensive.\u00a0 If you are unfamiliar with such wines, consult a reputable and knowledgeable retailer for suggestions, or better yet, contact the International Wine of the Month Club for some of our most <a href=\"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/past-selections\/2014\/sept.htm?current=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">popular recent selections<\/a>! Lastly: It is wise to try some of your provider\u2019s selections ahead of time, and then serve the wines you choose from lightest to heaviest, saving the sweetest wines for last.<\/p>\n<h3>A Final Note<\/h3>\n<p>With a little research and planning, hosting your own wine party can be a fun opportunity for you, your friends and your family to try good wines with good company. Some of the key things to remember:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A fun, outgoing group of people will make the party all the more enjoyable<\/li>\n<li>A wine tasting party theme can help your guests narrow down their wine selections and help you increase the educational value of your party<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re still a beginner with wine, consulting a knowledgeable retailer will help you pick only interesting, premium selections that fit within your theme<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Wine tasting parties are still parties: remember to have fun!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2846\" src=\"http:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5925-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"_M7A5925\" width=\"607\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5925-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.winemonthclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/M7A5925-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 607px) 100vw, 607px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Salud!<br \/>\nDon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking back at my past 40 years as a wine enthusiast, I can safely say that I\u2019ve seen my fair share of wine tasting parties. A common theme I\u2019ve noticed over the years is that many of the hosts of these parties tend to overthink them, and put too much of the focus on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[7,9,11,12],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How To Host a Wine Tasting Party in 4 Steps | Wine Blog from The International Wine of the Month Club<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ve seen my fair share of wine tasting parties and the true ingredients of a successful wine tasting party are simple: good wine 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