Holding a wine tasting at your condo is one of the classiest get-togethers you can have. And, while some are intimidated by the prospect of organizing one, a wine tasting can actually be easier to plan than other types of parties. Follow our advice below to make your wine tasting sure-fire success.
- Come up with a unifying theme.
There are literally hundreds of varieties of wine from around the world, but you need a method to the madness for a successful wine tasting. Choose a category (sweet reds, for example), or a region (California), and you’ll get to explore that variety more thoroughly.
- Don’t skimp on the wine.
When considering how much wine to get, a good general rule is to allow between one half and one bottle total per guest. Shoot to have at least 3 different wines for tasting, but above that, the sky’s the limit.
- Provide quality cheese.
No one likes to drink wine on an empty stomach, and snacks help to cleanse the palate in between wines. The classic wine pairing is cheese, and there’s a simple rule for assembling the perfect cheese platter: choose a mild (brie), an aged (parmesan, gouda), and a blue (Roquefort, Stilton).
- Take care of other snacks.
To begin, you’ll need crackers to go with that cheese. If you want to provide more variety, fruit, jams, honey, and cured meats make great pairings to wine and cheese.
- Set the atmosphere.
Wine lends itself to a relaxed atmosphere. If you have light dimmers, your wine tasting would be a great time to use them. Some relaxing music, depending on your tastes, will also help.
- Drink responsibly.
The traditional way to taste wine is to spit out each sip after tasting, in order to keep one’s wits about for the entire tasting. Your guests will most likely want to drink the wine instead, so be sure that after an evening of tasting, your guests can get home safely.
