wine
On the
Grapevine
life
Good Times
with Good Wines
for the holidays, Hosting a wine-tasting party is a fun way to get
together with friends and learn about wine, finds Dominic Rivard
H
osting a wine party,
whether at home, in a bar
or a restaurant is a great
way to socialise, but can
be daunting for those who
are not confident about
their wine knowledge.
Just because you’re not a credentialed sommelier,
however, doesn’t mean you can’t use this unique,
fun and educational party format to give your
guests an evening to enjoy and remember, espei-
cally during this festive party season. Let’s look
at the planning step-by-step and you’ll see that
the key ingredient is a desire to create a unique
experience, not wine erudition.
The first step is to choose a tasting theme. A
vertical tasting uses the same varietals from the
same winery, but of different vintages. Following
one particular varietal and winery will demon-
strate the dramatic variations in wine that weath-
er and other influences can make year to year.
Horizontal tasting, on the other hand, focuses on
thailand tatler 76 december 2009
Not only a lot of fun, a wine-tasting
party is an informal way to educate
your guests about wine
If wine and cheese are partners, then wine and
chocolate could be described as lovers. There Wine-Tasting
are several things to keep in mind when partner- Party
ing chocolate and wine for the party. The wine
should be at least as sweet, if not a touch sweeter,
Checklist
Four to six wines based on
than the chocolate you are pairing it with. the theme
Otherwise, the taste may seem rather sour. When Appetisers before the wine tasting
pairing wines with chocolate, match lighter, more are a good idea if any of your
elegant-flavoured chocolates with lighter-bodied guests are driving
wines; likewise, the stronger the chocolate, the Loaves of quality artisan bread
more full-bodied the wine should be. Just as with for cleansing the palate between
wine, if you are experimenting with several vari- tastings
eties of chocolates, work from light to dark. Start Wine glasses, ideally one per wine
with a more subtle white chocolate and end on a for each guest
dark or bittersweet chocolate. Water for cleansing palates
These are just a few suggestions, by no means
the only worthy themes. If none of them strike Buckets for unfinished wine
your fancy, let your imagination run wild. How Tasting cards with pens
about a tasting based on a particular country Bottle coverings for blind tastings
with its music and cuisine, for example, Spanish
wines with flamenco music and tapas?
Not only a lot of fun, a wine-tasting party is
an informal way to educate your guests about
wine. Providing a wine tasting card is a good way
to enable them to reinforce what they’re learn-
ing. Keep in mind that the card can be as detailed
or brief as you want. Start with listing the type
of wine, vineyard, vintage and a description of
the wine from the producer’s information on
the back label. Make sure there’s blank space for
guests to write notes. Finally, have them rate the
wines according to their preferences. Blind tast-
ings are a fun challenge for more advanced con-
a single varietal from the same year, but instead noisseurs. Supply your guests with tasting cards,
of following one winery the host offers several but do not list any information about the wines
wineries for comparison. Something to consider being poured. Make sure to cover the bottles or
is whether the wines should come from one put them in a bag before pouring, remembering
region, say, Napa Valley, or from several, such as to number the bottles for your reference. You can
California, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and so reveal all the hidden information after they have
on. The focus of the entertaining Old World ver- made their comments.
sus New World theme lets you compare varietals When serving the wines, remember to pour
from these two much-discussed groups. Here are dry to sweet with white wines and light-bodied
some suggestions: compare a Californian caber- to full-bodied for reds. Consider the age of the
net sauvignon with a French bordeaux. Perhaps wine also. Start with the younger wines and
pair a classic northern Rhone valley syrah with a products from the same region. For example, progress to the mature wines. It’s a good idea from top
zesty Australian shiraz. Another duo would be an beaujolais with brie, camembert and goat cheese; to offer bread and water between tastings so The order of the
image: four seasons hotel Bangkok
Oregon pinot noir partnered with+ a red burgun- chardonnay with brie, camembert and gouda; your guests can cleanse their palates for the next pouring should
be from dry to
dy or perhaps a chardonnay from California with chianti with fontina, mozarella, parmesan or wine. The general rule for the taste serving size sweet; a tasting
a white burgundy from France. The list goes on. provolone; cabernet sauvignon with camembert, is around two ounces per glass, per tasting. Also, theme can focus
Wine and cheese are natural partners. For this cheddar, Danish blue, gorgonzola, blue cheese make sure the wines are served at their appropri- on white wine
format you sample a wine and then a cheese and and roquefort; merlot with brie, camembert, ate temperatures. With a good selection of wines opposite
have your guests reassess the wine’s qualities in cheddar, jarlsberg and parmesan; champagne to fit your chosen theme, and more importantly, A wine-tasting
party is the
light of the subtle flavour changes. You will be with beaufort, brie, camembert, cheddar, chevre, some good friends, you have all the necessary perfect event for
amazed with the results. A good idea to keep in colby, edam and gouda; dessert wine or fruit ingredients for a fabulously entertaining and the festive
mind when pairing wines and cheeses is to match wine with crème fraiche and mascarpone. informative festive holiday party. holiday season
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