| Thomas Jefferson said, "Good wine is a necessity | | | | be about two ounces. This means that for eight |
| of life for me". No wonder he was one of our | | | | people or less, one 750 ml bottle should be |
| founding fathers! | | | | enough. |
| More and more people are drinking wine these | | | | 3. The question of food- |
| days and why not? It's readily acknowledged by | | | | No party would be complete without food. |
| the medical community that drinking red wine in | | | | However, depending on your goal for the event, |
| moderation has a myriad of health benefits | | | | you may want to wait until after tasting the wine |
| including lowering your risk of contracting heart | | | | to serve food because food affects the taste of |
| disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer and | | | | wine and visa-versa. If your goal is to have an |
| cataracts. I don't know about you, but for me, | | | | informal gathering of friends and experience new |
| that's a good enough reason to enjoy a glass or | | | | wines with good food, by all means serve food |
| two every night. In addition, it's a nice way to | | | | paired with the various wines. In fact, an easy and |
| relax after a rough day and getting together with | | | | fun way to have a wine tasting party is to ask |
| friends over a glass of wine is a great venue for | | | | your guests to bring the various courses |
| socializing and having fun.One way to do this is by | | | | (appetizers, soup, salad, dessert) along with a |
| hosting a wine tasting party. Besides being a lot of | | | | paired wine while you provide the main course |
| fun, this is an excellent approach for learning | | | | and wine. |
| about wine and maybe finding a few new wines | | | | If your primary goal is tasting and judging new |
| you really enjoy. Below are some guidelines that | | | | wine, it is more appropriate to wait until after the |
| will help you organize a wine tasting that's sure to | | | | tasting to serve the food. Instead, during the |
| be a hit. | | | | tasting, provide only unflavored crackers (saltines) |
| | | | or bread to cleanse the palette between wines. |
| 1. Inviting your guests- | | | | 4. Tasting and rating the wine-Remember to limit |
| The first thing you need to consider when | | | | your pours to two ounces (visually, two ounces is |
| organizing a wine-tasting party is how many | | | | about two inches in a normal size wine glass). |
| people to invite. Generally speaking, 8 to 12 is | | | | Place pitchers of water out for your guests to |
| considered the optimum number of guests. This | | | | rinse their glasses or cleanse the palate between |
| size group is large enough to promote | | | | tastings. Also, have buckets available for those |
| spontaneous interaction and small enough to be | | | | who choose to spit out the wine instead of |
| easily manageable. | | | | swallowing it. Spitting is not necessarily an |
| Whether you telephone, email, or sent written | | | | indication of not liking the wine. Many wine tasters |
| invitations is a personal choice. I happen to prefer | | | | spit so they will not be affected by alcohol |
| sending email invitations. American Greetings has a | | | | consumption. Especially if the tasting is to be |
| great card site that includes "eInvites". It's a | | | | followed by socializing and drinking wine. |
| wonderful service where you can send invitations | | | | One suggestion for tasting and rating the wine is |
| and your guests can simply click a button to | | | | to simply hand out paper and pens to each of the |
| RSVP. You can even schedule follow-up reminders. | | | | guests as they arrive so they are able to make |
| The American greeting site has a $20.00 yearly | | | | notes on each wine tasted. To make this process |
| membership fee, but for all the ecards and | | | | more structured and organized, you can download |
| services, I think it's worth it. | | | | and print wine tasting forms from the internet. |
| 2. Choosing the wine- | | | | Clicking on the following link will take you to |
| In my opinion, choosing the wine to taste at your | | | | Wine-Reviewer where you may download a wine |
| party is the best part of the planning stage. But | | | | tasting review form. Wine reviews |
| then, I happen to get mesmerized every time I | | | | You may reduce the chance of ratings being |
| walk into a large wine store. There's so much to | | | | influenced by personal preference or prejudice by |
| choose from. | | | | having a "blind tasting". To do this, completely |
| There are many different ways you can handle | | | | wrap each of the bottles with aluminum foil and |
| wine selection. One option is to consider a themed | | | | label it with a number. The wine will then be |
| party. For example: "California Chardonnays", | | | | identified and judged by the number on the bottle. |
| "German Rieslings", "Wines Under $10.00", or | | | | To make the evening a bit more interesting and |
| "Italian Reds". The possibilities here are endless, so | | | | educational, research the wine, winery and |
| don't be afraid to be creative. Another option | | | | wine-making region. Your guests will probably find |
| might be to choose wines from a particular | | | | the information interesting and will appreciate your |
| winery or even to select different vintages | | | | effort. |
| (years) of the exact same wine. Selecting | | | | Using these guidelines, having a wine-tasting party |
| different vintages of the same wine is called a | | | | is as easy as 1-2-3-4. Have fun, but please |
| vertical tasting and this may be more costly to do | | | | remember to drink responsibly and do not let |
| since older vintages tend to carry a higher price | | | | others drink and drive. If possible, have someone |
| tag. | | | | be a designated driver to insure that everyone |
| When buying the wine for your party, keep in | | | | gets home safely. |
| mind that for tasting purposes, each pour should | | | | |