How to host a wine-tasting at home

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The idea of a tasting is to drink two or more wines side by side for the sake of learning something about them -- and about your taste in wine.

By T.J. Foderaro

If you've seen the movie "Bottle Shock," you know wine tastings can be rather intimidating. The 2008 film depicts the now-famous "Judgment of Paris" tasting in 1976, in which a group of French sommeliers gathered to compare classic vintages of Bordeaux and Burgundy to the new wave of American wines emerging from the Napa Valley.

In the tasting scene, the impeccably dressed sommeliers sit at a table covered with dozens of wine glasses. There is little discussion and hardly a smile -- just lots of pensive sipping and scribbling of notes. When the results are tallied, the French are shocked -- shocked! -- to discover that the upstart Americans won the day. Frowns and sneers all around.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Not!

In reality, most wine tastings aren't nearly so stuffy. The idea of a tasting is quite simple, actually: Drink two or more wines side by side for the sake of learning something about them -- and about your taste in wine. When done right, wine tastings can be eye-opening, mind-expanding affairs that stimulate interesting conversation and introduce participants to new wines and friends. We're talking serious fun.

Some years ago, while planning a holiday party, it suddenly occurred to me that everyone on my guest list liked wine and enjoyed talking about it. So I thought, why not organize the party around an informal wine tasting? I did, and it was a big hit.

As soon as the guests arrived, the sight of bottles and glasses lined up on the dining room table generated a buzz. The conversation was lively from the start. People who hardly knew each other suddenly were engaged in animated discussions about wine and food, and travel experiences they'd had. There was a sense of adventure and discovery.

"Anyone who has an interest in exploring wine should try it," says Carol Berman, a New Jersey-based wine educator. "The more wines a person tastes, the more clear it becomes as to the particular style of wine they like. A wine's style is the key to their palate's lock."

"Anyone who has an interest in exploring wine should try (a wine-tasting)," says Carol Berman, a New Jersey-based wine educator.

Berman knows better than most. She's spent her career conducting wine tastings for consumers and professionals alike, most recently via a business called Class in A Glass that she operates from her home.

Berman charges $20 per person, plus the cost of the wine, to orchestrate a tasting in a client's home. But with a little planning, and a few of Berman's trade secrets, wine enthusiasts can organize and lead their own at-home tastings. It's a surprisingly economical way to host a memorable evening.

The first thing you need to decide is how many people you want to invite, which in turn will influence the format of the tasting and number of wines you feature. While some wine tastings are stand-up affairs, with people circulating among tasting stations, Berman prefers sit-down events. They make it easier for your guests to relax and focus on the wines as a group.

Thus, the size of your guest list will be somewhat limited by your seating capacity.

The next question is how many wines to taste. Berman, aka "the traveling sommelier," typically starts with a sparkling wine, then pours two whites and two reds. "After approximately three tastes, their palates are usually desensitized," she says.

You could randomly choose any wines within your budget, but Berman suggests selecting bottles to illustrate a particular theme. For instance, you might taste a California chardonnay alongside a French Chablis, which also is made from the chardonnay grape, to highlight the contrast between New World and Old World styles.

For reds, the comparison could be Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon versus a Medoc from France's Bordeaux region, or Oregon pinot noir versus classic Burgundy. The permutations are virtually endless.

"Anyone who has an interest in exploring wine should try (a wine-tasting)," says Carol Berman, a New Jersey-based wine educator.

Consider tasting the same grape, say merlot, from three or four different countries -- for example, Chile, France, Italy and the United States. Or two different grape varieties from the same country (e.g., Italian Sangiovese versus nebbiolo). Or an oak-aged wine compared to a similar variety fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks (e.g., a barrel-fermented chardonnay versus an unoaked chardonnay). In the end, you should choose a theme that satisfies your curiosity about wine.

As for quantities, figure on pouring 2 ounces of each wine per person. That translates into one bottle for every 12 people. So if you're hosting 20 people for a tasting of four wines, then you'll need eight bottles. And it's not necessary to go out and buy the most expensive examples of each wine. Indeed, a particularly interesting theme is tasting three or four wines from the same grape and region (e.g., Argentine malbec) across multiple price points (say, $10 to $40).

In addition to the wines, you'll also need a few props -- most importantly, wine glasses. Figure on two glasses per guest, so they can compare wines side by side. You'll also want to put out pitchers of water and "spit buckets," so your guests can rinse their glasses between wines.

Since some of your guests may want to take notes on their favorite wines, Berman suggests listing the labels on a piece of paper, then making copies for each guest. That will make it easier for them to take notes.

And what about food? Berman says it's fine to serve hors d'oeuvres before the tasting, and possibly dinner afterward, but she doesn't recommend putting out food during the tasting.

"Incorrect pairings will negatively change the wine and the food," she says.

Surprisingly, a wine tasting can end up costing a lot less than a conventional party because you don't have to worry about buying cases of beer or stocking a full bar. It's just wine. Figure on budgeting about $20 per person, assuming you don't splurge on particularly expensive wines.

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