One of the things that I am always thrilled to help with is putting together wine tasting parties, because it is everything that I love about being in the wine business. Sharing wine with friends is a great excuse to come together, educate and explore. Long before working in the business, my friends and I would get together to taste wines and spend an evening. I believe what really hooked me was that most wines have a story to tell.

At first we usually focused on a varietal or a region. We would set a reasonable spending limit and everyone would contribute a bottle, plus everyone would chip in so that we would have one bottle of something special to try that was beyond our modest budgets. At the core, we had three couples but our little group eventually attracted friends that heard about what we were up to and asked to join in. More people meant more wine… so how could we say no?

Picking a theme can lead you to new and interesting places. One time we had friends visiting who lived in Paris, so that led us to do a Californian versus French tasting, and both sides gained a bit more respect for the other. Peace was maintained. Another time we sought out wines that were produced by female winemakers, which required a bit of work at the time to figure out. Turns out that our search was made easier by talking to the wine consultant at the shop—he knew of several.

Steve, myself and Jeff, fellow Wine Consultants having a tasting on our day off.

There are a few things that you will need to host your own tasting. Glassware is important and you will find that it can enhance your enjoyment. While it is not necessary to have every different type of wine glass specifically designed for each varietal, glasses should be large enough for you to give the wine a good swirl without it spilling on the carpet, and you will want to be able to get your nose in the glass. Water to rinse and a bucket to spit (yes you might want to do that especially if you are tasting several wines). Bread or crackers to refresh your palate are a good idea too. You may want to pick up a spray bottle of Wine Away stain remover for accidents. Discourage your guests from wearing perfumes or strong fragrances—they can distort your sense of smell which is so important to the sense of taste. Something that identifies each guest’s glass, be that a wine charm that fits on the stem or a colored ribbon is useful.

Remember that where there is good wine, good food should be at hand. The right nibbles can make your tasting that much better. Pairing the foods of a region with the wines always makes sense. Oysters and shellfish with Sauvignon Blancs is enough of an excuse to invite a group over in my book! You might fire up the grill, cook off a juicy rib eye, slice it into bite size strips and pair it with some South American reds. Regional cheeses with the local wines, combinations are endless, be creative!

Take notes! You think that you will remember that great wine that you had, but you had better write it down or take a picture of the label. I work in a wine shop, I cannot tell you how often I get “you know, it’s that wine with the red label, I’ll know it if I see it!” This is why you have a smart phone!

At some point you and your group may want to do “blind” tastings. Hide the labels, with a brown bag or wrap the bottle with something, and then do a tasting. What I like about this is it removes any prejudging about the wine and it tests the taster. Can you identify what the varietal is and/or where in the world it came from? Maybe this will get you to find something new or change your mind about a varietal. Didn’t think you liked Merlot? Perhaps you’ve not tried one from Washington State or Bordeaux!

I hope that this gives you a few ideas and inspires you to do a tasting party of your own. If you love wine, or even if you just like it, learning about it is a large part of the enjoyment and it’s fun to do with family and friends. If you want ideas or need any help, we are here for that. So get a few friends together, pull a few corks, nibble on some delicious charcuterie and maybe learn a thing or two.

Cheers!

Lenny Bell, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Consultant on Bee Ridge Rd. in Sarasota. Follow me on Twitter @abcwineLennyB.