Sep 8, 2020

How to Host a Wine Tasting Event at Home (AND FEEL LIKE YOU TRAVELED SOMEWHERE)

For all of my fellow travel-lovers out there, this one is for you. Traveling is one of my big loves and, right now, international travel is pretty much off the table for Americans. However, if you enjoy wine, the United States is home to some pretty amazing and well-respected wines.

Living in Washington State has allowed me to explore some wonderful wines across this region, and even some of the best internationally. I am spoiled by being able to go wine tasting in Woodinville, WA and have access to over 180 wineries within 30 minutes. Walla Walla tasting rooms are a couple hours drive, and we could drink all new wines for months without repeats. I wouldn't say that I know good wine, but I know what wines I typically like. And that's all that matters. One of the ways that us wine-lovers connect with friends is going wine-tasting and sharing some good appetizers.

With quarantine and some restrictions persisting through the summer months, I have been hesitant to go wine-taste in the tasting rooms. I came up with some ideas for wine events that anyone can safely host in their backyard with a small group of friends, and when executed carefully, it can be done in a socially distant way. You also don't need to be a master wine sommelier to host a wine-tasting, trust me. If you approach wine-tasting like a journey, you'll never be bored and always trying something new!

All you need is a group of 3-7 of your best pals!

First things first: PICK A THEME.

1. Traveling internationally (highly recommended)

For this theme, each person attending the event will select a country of their choice. Keep a running list of who selects what country so there aren't any doubles. For our event, we had each couple, or individual, bring both a white wine and a red wine of their choice and price range from their chosen country along with one or two authentic, traditional appetizers to pair with their wines. Keep in mind that it's easier to find wines for some countries more than others in common, local, grocery stores. You can choose a country that will be easier and/or cheaper to find wine for, or you can pick a more obscure country and find a couple unique wines that even the fanciest wine-tasters may not have tried! (Note: no need to worry if the food and wine pairs well, just go for authenticity and it'll be really fun!)

Here are some ideas for countries that will be typically easier to find wine for in your local grocery store:

-Italy

-France

-Spain

-Germany

-New Zealand

-Australia

-Argentina

-Chile

-South Africa

-Portugal

2. Winning Wines of Washington (or another state)

For this theme, attendees can select wines of their choice in variety, price range, and winery to bring to the party. The only parameter would be that the wines had to be from Washington State! Again, I recommend bringing a white and/or rose and a red wine along with a small dish or appetizer to share with the group. This theme can be really fun for those that want to get to know Washington wines better or explore the different regions within Washington State as they differ greatly even across eastern Washington!

3. Varietal Focus

For this theme, a type of wine, or specific grape, is preselected for the event and all attendees can bring that varietal of wine from their winery/region or even country of choice! For example, this event could showcase Cabernet Sauvignon and each person bring a bottle of this varietal to the event so attendees can taste the differences that growing regions, environments, growing conditions and years contribute to the aging flavors of the same type of wine!

Note: you know that feeling when you go to the grocery store and you want to buy a good bottle of wine but you stand there in front of the fully stocked shelves of wine, clueless as to what to buy? Decision paralysis? Overwhelmed by too many options? Doing this varietal focus event, can help attendees take note of which specific wines of each varietal they prefer so they have an idea of that they like when they go to their local grocery store!

In our friend group, we elected to do the INTERNATIONAL WINE-TASTING since we aren't really able to travel internationally at the moment! It was our imaginative (and optimistic) avenue to satisfy our desire for novelty and cultural exploration when confined to our backyards. We had lots of fun with it! We had a group of 7 people total and selected 5 countries. Again, each represented country had an accompanying white and red wine and appetizer or two.

Second, every country needs a station! (see below)

This is really something that helps to make it feel like it's more exciting than just drinking wine with dinner, and, it allows for some social distancing. Each country can have a small table set up, with a few (optional, but encouraged) decorations and small touches, the bottles of wine, and the food pairings. Set up the stations in different corners of the yard so guests can 'travel' between countries.

Our countries of choice were Argentina, South Africa, Spain, France and Italy. We had some REAL over-achievers on the food-pairing front and we almost hurt ourselves devouring all the delicious food!

(pictured: Argentina wines and Empanadas)

I think the part that is the most fun about hosting this event, is there is so much freedom built into the event for participants and therefore, creativity! Everything can be carefully pre-planned, or, with the exceptions of knowing each participant's country ahead of time, everything can be unveiled as a surprise at the event.

(pictured: Alfajores- dolce de leche shortbread sandwich type cookies)

I recommend opening all red wines at the start of the event to allow them to be exposed to more oxygen and 'breathe.' This allows the complex flavors in the wine to come forward and we experience the wine in the way it was meant to be consumed. Additionally give the wine a swirl once it has been poured into your glass.

(pictured: South African Boerewors and grilled onions)

When it comes time to pour wine and start tasting, there are several ways you can conduct the tasting. I recommend starting with white wines and ultimately transitioning to reds. Everyone as a group can start at one station and take turns grabbing a plate with the appetizer and the 'country host' can pour a tasting of wine in each guest's glass. Or, if everyone is hungry, a more informal approach can be taken and you can plate-up foods from all of the countries and return to pairings as you reach each wine in the tasting line-up!

(French Wines and baked apples and Brie cheese with Herbs de Provence on a baguette)

We took turns and had each person tell the group a bit about their wine, you can read off of the label on the back of the bottle any tasting notes that are listed, or, alternatively as a group take turns guessing what flavors you smell and taste when trying each wine! Incorporate some history if you have the time to look it up, and get creative.

(Spanish Tortilla de Espana, and skewers with chorizo, Spanish green olives, Manchego cheese)

We had so much fun and can't wait for the next 'international trip!' Some of us have already picked out the countries we want to represent next time. Hello, Greece!

(Never thought in a million years I'd include this, but here you are):

Infection Control Tips: Use paper plates/utensils, have each person that brought the wine be in charge of pouring their specific bottles of wine for other participants, as well as manning serving utensils (tongs, slicing, serving etc. for their respective station, when not actively eating/drinking wear your mask), sit an adequate distance apart from others.