How....Wine Tasting party

[Triathlon13]

HI! I am in charge of social's for my triathlon team and after much thought, I came up with a wine tasting party for our Christmas Social.

Problem is I have no idea how to do this (and really I don't particularly care for wine all that much). I need to know how to conduct a wine tasting party, do I ask each person to bring a bottle of wine (do I ask for specific ones or just have everyone bring a bottle of their favorite). Also what kind of food do you serve with this? I was thinking crackers, cheese, fruit and since it will be around the holidays some sort of dessert (probably cookies since I have to go to 2 different cookie bakes the 2 weekends before!).

Let me know what you think. I don't have that many wine glasses so I assume it is ok to small disposable cups for this or use regular glasses.

Let me know what you think or any other ideas you may have!

Thanks so much!
Michelle

[Terri_A]

Take a look at these Google Search Results (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-10,GGLJ:en&q=wine+tasting+party+how+to) . I've never done it, but I think it would be fun!

[lindrusso]

There are many different ways you can do this, but as for glasses, our wine group used to ask people to bring their own glasses. I bought some plastic wine glasses just to bring to these tastings. :)

[Salt]

I went to a wine tasting party once that was neat. I local wine shop provided a service for wine tasting parties. You pay a flat fee and they send one of their sommelier to your home with 10 or so different wines and you taste them as he/she describes the wine to you and gives you all the abc's on wine.

As far as food goes I would do a cheese tray with a lot of different types of cheese and of course crackers. A fruit tray is pretty traditional also. A big crowd pleaser is brie that is wrapped in phyllo dough and cooked in the oven with raspberry preserves on top of it. I would also do some other type of appetizer. You want plenty of food for people to munch on all night so they have something in their body to soak up all the wine they will be drinking.

[Peggy]

I've been a member of a wine tasting group for about 5 years. We meet every other month and take turns hosting the event. It is up to the host to decide the theme and the particulars. Sometimes we ask people to bring an appetizer also and the hosts usually provife coffe and a dessert. We usually ask each couple to bring a bottle of wine and the hosts decide what varietal we will be tasting. We usually do blind tastings and hand out tasting sheets so each person can evaluate each wine and score it. Here are some examples of theme wine tastings we have done in the past:

Wine and Cheese Pairing
Bring your favorite new wine
Ports and Chocolate
Sparkling Wines and appetizers (we did this at my house in one December to help people find a sparkling wine they liked for New Years. It was a very festive celebration!)
Wines from different countries - Australia Shiraz, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, South African, German, French
Comparing Pinot Noirs from different regions - California, Oregon, French

The possibilities are endless. I am hosting our wine tasting in November and we will be asking each couple to bring a bottle of California Petite Sirah. It will be a blind tasting and we will be using the UC Davis Wine evaluation Forms. I will be providing all of the appetizers and dessert because we are having it on a Friday night and most people will have to work that day.

As far as wine glasses go, If we are doing several wines side by side we will ask people to bring their own glasses. They just put them inside a wine box for traveling. Otherwise, if it is just one or two glasses needed we are able to provide enough for our group.

I would be happy to answer any other questions you might have. I have been a wine lover for years and been in many wine tasting groups.

Peggy

[Triathlon13]

Thank you everyone so much. These ideas were super helpful. I think I will go with the wine and cheese pairing-supposedly after asking around there is a cheese shop in Cambridge that will list 2 wines for each cheese so this will be helpful!

Though I do like the choclates and wine:^)

Will look at that site Terri_A-thank you!

Salt-I don't know where I would find the brie w/ Phyllo dough etc.., but OMG that sounds so good. I will have to ask around and see where I can find something like that-maybe the cheese shop would know-thanks so much-I LOVE raspberry sauce on anything!

I think I might purchase those small plastic glasses from iParty for this-that was brought up by someone-sounds easy and very little clean up:^)

Thank you so much everyone-what a big help!

Michelle

[eas11]

........I don't know where I would find the brie w/ Phyllo dough etc.., but OMG that sounds so good. I will have to ask around and see where I can find something like that-maybe the cheese shop would know-thanks so much-I LOVE raspberry sauce on anything!......

Michelle

It's easy to make the phyllo covered Brie yourself and cover with all sorts of toppings...BUT, having said that, I just got back from TJ's where I bought a few cheeses for apps. One is an (already baked) dough covered Brie that I've prepared before- it just needs heating in the oven before serving. People always like it. They sell a plain version, but I usually buy the one with a layer of cranberries/nuts. This is great to keep in the fridge for "unexpected" entertaining. It's a great app served on a plate, with whole almonds and apple slices, two things I always have in the house.

You will find lots of choices when you visit Formaggio Kitchen (http://formaggio-kitchen.com/) to go with your wines!

Have fun and don't forget to report back with your pairings and reviews :)

[Triathlon13]

HI-thank you to all the great replies!

Now I need some ideas- what are your favorite cheeses? What do you eat them with/on? What kind of wine do you like it with? And what kind of other things should I put on a cheese plate/table? What kind of fruits, crackers, etc....

Any other ideas would be great!

Thanks so much-I am so excited about this!

Michelle

[Peggy]

Michelle,

I just pulled some notes from our last Wine and Cheese Tasting party. The cheese we tasted were Brie, Teleme, Camembert, Sharp Cheddar, Dry Monterey Jack, Parmigiano Reggiano, Feta and Asiago. The wines were Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. We featured a single winery that produced all of these varietals so the focus was more on the pairing of wines with cheeses than the wines themselves. We gave each person a plate that had all of the cheeses on it. Then each person recorded their personal experiences with each wine and cheese on a pre-prepared worksheet. We all shared our opinions at the end.

Peggy

[doglady8]

The possibilities are endless. I am hosting our wine tasting in November and we will be asking each couple to bring a bottle of California Petite Sirah. It will be a blind tasting and we will be using the UC Davis Wine evaluation Forms. I will be providing all of the appetizers and dessert because we are having it on a Friday night and most people will have to work that day.
Peggy

Peggy - Using a wine evaluation form is a terrific idea. I just checked their website and could not find this easily. Do you have a copy that you'd be willing to share?

Nancy

[Peggy]

Nancy,

I have a hard copy but don't know of a website that I can steer you to that has it on the Internet. I have used the form in wine education classes. I mailed a copy to Shelley and would be happy to send you one also. If you want it, send me a PM with your address and I will put it in the mail to you. :)

Peggy.