You probably don’t need a reason to celebrate wine, but we’ll give you one anyway. May 25 is National Wine Day and it’s also a Friday. How fitting.
Our friends at Colonial Wine & Spirits have come up with the perfect way to sip in style with your friends — a wine tasting group. It’s like book club, but without the assigned reading.
Here are five easy steps to make your wine tasting group a success:
1. Supply tasting sheets and pens.
There’s no better way to make your tasting group feel like the real deal than with tasting sheets. This is a great way to stay organized, keep track of which wine is which, and make notes.
2. Supply spittoons and water.
Tasting, instead of drinking, is the goal of your wine tasting party. Encourage your guests to hold the wine in their mouths for a few seconds, then spit it into a spittoon. To keep a fresh palate, let your guests rinse with water between samples. Alcohol dulls the senses, and unfortunately, this also applies to the palate. It’s best to avoid drinking the wine until the tasting and note taking part of your event are done.
3. Keep it simple.
It’s easy to get carried away with wine tastings. Guests might show up with multiple bottles, and it’s tempting to crack them all open. Sticking to 4-6 wines hits the sweet spot: That’s enough to inform, not overwhelm.
4. Pick a grape variety to explore, then assign wines to guests.
Pick your favorite grape! For example, pick a pinot noir from Sonoma County to taste next to a pinot noir from Burgundy, France, and Willamette Valley, Oregon. The choices are endless. After you’ve chosen your grape, assign wines to guests. This is a good way to ensure that there aren’t too many choices and you don’t run out of one particular wine.
5. Keep food neutral.
The best food to help with palate cleansing is water crackers. No matter what food you offer, the most important thing is to keep it neutral in flavor. Rich, sweet or savory foods can easily overpower a wine. Opt for foods like crackers and mild cheeses instead of cheese dip and salsa. You’ll be glad you did!
For even more tips and tricks from Colonial, head to their website.