It’s really a simple thing to do. Everyone gets to participate, whether they know a lot or nothing at all about wine. Better still, there are no right or wrong answers, no winners or losers. Ultimately, tasting parties are all about relaxing, having fun with friends, and sharing your mutual appreciation for wine. Armed with our 10 tips and tools, your party will be a guaranteed success.

Tip #1: Decide how many people you want to attend. While you can have any number of guests, keeping the count relatively low—4 to 10 people—will allow for greater interaction.

The Tools:
Cork Card Holders

Tip #2: Select a theme. You can create an Old-World Italian setting at home and have a “taste off” between Barolo and Chianti, both great Italian wines. Or, it could be California wines vs. French wines. Set the stage with traditional-themed napkins or plates; your linens could represent regional colors and other items could represent each country.

The Tools:
Personalized Tile Tray
Wine Cork Bottle Candles

Tip #3. Choose adventurous wines. Dare to taste wines you’ve never had. Ask your local wine purveyor for recommendations that meet your theme setting or refer to our online buying guide for top selections You DO NOT have to buy expensive wines. You can find delicious wines in the $10 to $20 range. Consider 3 whites—such as South African Chenin Blanc, Austrian  Grüner Veltliner, and Spanish Albariño—and 3 reds—perhaps Greek Agiorgitiko, Chilean Malbec and Washington Cabernet. You should end up with wines at different prices.

The Tools:
Wine Buying Guide
Wine Pocket Guide
The Wine Enthusiast Wine and Food Pairings Book

Tip #4: Consider starting the evening with a Champagne or sparkling wine and ending with a dessert wine. This adds some nice variety to the tasting. Values such as Cava or Prosecco offer affordable quality and add a fun spin to your party. For dessert wines, pick up a bottle or two of Hungarian Tokai or Canadian Icewine.

The Tools:
Wild Hibiscus Edible Cocktail Flowers

Tip #5: Use quality wine glasses. One white wine glass and one red wine glass for each guest is ideal. The right shape and type of wine glass will enhance your enjoyment of the wines served.   If you want to go the extra mile, you can have glasses for each of the 6 wines.  You’ll want to get a spit bucket, too.
Full Bouquet Tasting Glasses

The Tools:
Fusion Classic Stemware
Wine Tasting Spittoon

Tip #6: It is now time to decide whether you want to make it a blind tasting and have the bottles in bags and whether or not you want to provide tasting note sheets for your guests to write down the smells and flavors they discover.  You can even “rate” the wines amongst yourselves.

The Tools:
Wine Tasting Party Kit

Tip #7: Provide guests with some tasty nibbles that won’t confuse their palate. Something simple like a vegetable platter, some crostini, or even a hard cheese will do the trick.

The Tools:
Porcelain Appetizer Spoons
Slate Cheese Server

Tip #8: Don’t overpour. Once the tasting begins, fill glasses with just 1 to 2 ounces of wine. That way, guests won’t need to spit. If a glass should have too much wine for a taste, the excess can be poured into the spit bucket. When the tasting is finished, you should have enough wine left over for everyone to try more of their favorites.

Tip #9: Taste in progression from light to full-bodied. Serve white wines first, starting with the lightest-bodied. A Pinot Grigio-style wine should come before fuller bodied sips like Chenin or Chardonnay. For reds, start with the wine with less tannins and softer flavors, such as a Pinot Noir followed by Merlot and then Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Tools:
Individual Decanters

Tip #10: If you’re serving dinner, pay attention to likely food and wine matches. Light whites are a friendly match to seafood though more full-bodied whites pair well with poultry. Spicy, exotic foods are likely matches to aromatic whites such as Riesling. More substantial foods, such as stuffed mushrooms, BBQ spareribs or duck sausage, pair well with full-bodied reds. Pair dessert wines with fresh berries or delectable sweets from dark chocolate to Tiramisu.

The Tools:
Raised Barrel Top Lazy Susan
Perfect Pairing Wine Chocolates

It’s that simple. If you love spending time with friends, and enjoy drinking good wine, hosting a tasting party of your own is both fun, and affordable.

As featured on Wine Enthusiast Magazine Online

5) Call the restaurant first, and ask what their “corkage policy” is. Policies change frequently so it’s always safe to ask.

4) Ask how much the corkage fee is in advance, so you are prepared. Restaurants may charge anywhere from $15-$50 per bottle, depending on the price of the wines on their list. It is rare for a restaurant to allow you to bring wine without charging a corkage fee, though some do.

3) Be sure that the wine you’re bringing isn’t on their list. It’s considered in poor taste to bring a wine that the restaurant offers.

2) Carry your wine in a fashionable wine bag.  We offer everything from handy Neoprene wine bags to leather shoulder carriers, so that you can “bring your own” in style. We even offer wine bags that hold stemware for you, if you are concerned about the restaurants’ selection.

1) When you are seated at the table, let the waiter know that you’ve brought your own wine and that you understand the policy of paying corkage for it. He’ll bring glassware and uncork the bottle for you, this is the service behind the corkage fee.

I hope that with these 5 golden rules, you’ll be comfortable bringing your own wine the next time you eat out! It’s a great way to save money, and take advantage of your collection. Do you ever bring your own wine? Leave a comment, and let us know!