A VERY detailed list of how to organize a wine-tasting party:

·        Invite your friends, 6 to 8 is prefect, to get together and spend about 1˝ hours tasting wine.

·        Supply each person with a comment sheet, a tasting term sheet, a pencil, a wine glass, a water glass.

·        Have bread or crackers available to help cleanse the palate in-between tastings.

·        Put out some buckets in case people want to spit out some of the wine. This isn't necessarily a negative commentary on the wine, but wine enthusiasts generally swallow only a little (if any) of each wine presented during a tasting, in order to keep control of their senses. Time enough to drink a glass or two after the formal tasting

·        Limit the quantity of wines to taste. We suggest five, max.. More is not always better when your sensitive palate is at stake.

·        Consider an overall theme for the tasting and write that in under “Today’s Tasting” For instance:

      Choose five wines of the same varietal - Merlot, Chardonnay, … (Best to stay with one varietal.)

      Choose five wines of the same varietal with escalating cost basis.

      Choose five wines of the same varietal but from different regions.

      Choose five wines of the same varietal and same winery but different years (a vertical tasting).

      Write on blank line of Comment Sheet whatever other guesswork taster must decide (region, cost,..)

      The possibilities are endless. Throw a party every month with a different wine tasting twist.

·        The idea is to learn something by comparing similar-only-different wines to see if you can pick up consistent differences between them by noting their appearance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste and overall impression of each wine.

·        For red wines, open the bottles at least ˝ hour before the tasting is to begin. This gives them time to breath and open.

·        For white wines, refrigerate for about an hour before tasting. You don’t want them too cold.

·        Put one bottle in each bag and seal with a tie. You can keep track of what bottle is what after the tasting is over by the different colored bags.

·        Gather everyone to the table. Point out all of the tools they have in front of them and why. Have them review the short list of tasting terms. Show them the Tasting Chart that you will be filling out at the end of the tasting.

·        At this point you may want to further educate your guests with additional information on wine tasting techniques. “Wine for Dummies” is an excellent and simple to understand guide for quick yet insightful wine education.

·        Ready?

·        Pour the first wine. Only pour a little in each glass. No more than 1 1/2 ounces.

·        Note the color in the glass. Swirl the wine in the glass and smell. Now taste. Be sure to hit all the senses of your tongue. Breath through your mouth (this is tricky) smelling the wine.

·        Jot down your thoughts. You should talk among yourselves, too. It opens up the experience.

·        When everyone is ready, move on to the next wine.

·        After all wines have been tasted, let your guests go back and retest those that they are curious, interested, or intrigued with to finalize their perceptions.

·        When everyone is finished, go around the table and have each person read what they wrote and how they rated Wine #1. Reveal Wine#1 and announce the price and any other information you want about the wine. You can also exchange comment sheets and represent that person’s views during the review and unveiling.

·        Fill out the tasting chart and post the results. Continue partying!

                                                 Pretty fun, huh?