Plan a Wine Tasting

A wine tasting event can be either informal parties where wines are featured, a sit-down dinner with matching wines, or a formal wine tasting event where food consists of palate-clearing bread or crackers.

An Informal Wine Tasting Event

A new take on the cocktail party, this type of wine tasting event is usually a stand-up or casual event with no particular focus or explanation. You simply put out an assortment of red, white, and possibly sparkling wines along with an array of appetizers. Guests mix and match. For such a wine tasting event the appropriate wines should be solid, mid-priced wines, not splendid wines that require thoughtful concentration. Good choices are dry sherry, Albarino, Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay, Beaujolais, Grenache, Côtes-du-Rhône, and lighter styled Pinot Noir. Merlots, Cabernets and Syrahs may be too assertive for this type of wine tasting event where conversation trumps the delicate nuances of wine.

Dinner as a Wine Tasting Event

Dinner as a venue for a wine tasting event is becoming increasingly popular. The main difficulty with this type of wine tasting event is that you will to plan the menu and have some expertise in food and wine pairing.  Food is served in courses along with the chosen wines:

Wine Tasting for the Appetizer Course - Sparkling white or rosé, dry sherry, Sauvignon blanc

Wine Tasting for the Salad Course - Carry over the wine from the appetizer course.

Wine Tasting for the First Course (fish or poultry) - Pinot Gris, unoaked Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne

Wine Tasting for the Second Course (beef, lamb, pork dishes) - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel

Wine Tasting for the Cheese Course - The most useful wines across the full spectrum of cheeses are sweet sherries, Sauternes, Port, sparkling whites, Chardonnay, and Beaujolais. Specific cheeses match very well with specific cheeses: Goat cheeses with Sauvignon Blanc, Aged Cheddar with Cabernet Sauvignon, blue-veined cheeses with Port or Sauternes.

Wine Tasting for the Dessert Courses - It’s important that the dessert wine is slightly less sweet than the dessert. It will then taste like a wine complement rather than syrup. So choose sweet—but not too sweet. Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat or Moscato often works well, as does a demi-sec sparkling wine.

Wine Tasting After Dinner - Cognac, Armagnac, single-malt Scotch, various liqueurs

The Formal Wine Tasting Event

Education is the goal for this type of wine tasting event, so no frills.  No food courses are offered other than palate-cleansing bread or crackers. At this type of wine tasting event you will need multiple wine glasses.  Industry tastings often feature six identical glasses for six wines to be compared.  Don’t try to compare different varieties in this way.  Each “flight” consists of a single variety.  Wines are poured simultaneously in small quantity, usually around two ounces per glass.  A typical formal tasting might be International Pinot Noirs: red Burgundy, Russian River (CA) Pinot Noir, Oregon Pinot Noir, New Zealand Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands (CA) Pinot Noir, Alsatian Pinot Noir. 

If your wine tasting event consists of a single flight, then leftover wine can be placed on the table for re-tastes. Two flights are about the maximum for most wine tasting events unless spit cups are provided and used.