Looking to have some fun with friends while sharing some wine?You should consider hosting a party. It's a reallyneat way to share your wine favorites and to be introduced to avariety of new and interesting wines. You can also add somespice to your fun by using a wine theme ("All About Reds", "Blindfold Tasting", etc.).

Party Size You don´t need a lot of guests to have a greatparty. What I have found works best is to have about four totwelve people, and definitely include yourself as one of theregistered guests. Also, I like to always have a contest duringthe party and give away a gift.

Theme Selection Pick a fun theme, and remember the themealso determines what wines will be poured. You can name a themelike "The Great Italians", "The Great Whites of California", orwhatever fits your mood. I would suggest being very creative,the possibilities are endless. If you tell your local winemerchant your theme, they can be a great source of help withwine and theme matching. Also, at a minimum make sure you have 4to 6 different wine types to taste.

Food Choices Have you heard the saying "First the wine,then your menu"? If you had a theme for your party and yourwines followed that theme, you may want to carry it through withwhatever food you serve. For example if you are tasting ItalianReds why not serve some Italian munchies to match.

While you do need to provide foods that complement the winesprovided, the food should not the backbone of the party. Focuson the d´oeuvres such as: cheese,fruit, unsalted crackers, bread or other munchies you may haveprepared for the evening. Don not forget to have lots of bottledroom temperature water and optional spit buckets available.

When all the tasting is done, you may want to have plenty ofcoffee and desserts. This is also a great time to break out oneof your favorite


articles learningcenter introductiontodessertwines.htm?>dessert wines.

To experience the full pleasure of the wine, it is importantthat you serve them at the correct temperature. Below are thebasic temperature guidelines:

Temperature per Wine Types 37-43°F --- White Sweet Wines41-45°F --- Champagne and Sparkling Wines 46-50°F --- White DryYoung Wines 48-54°F --- White Aged and Pink Wines 52-59°F ---Red Young Wines 54-63°F --- Port and Sherry 58-63°F --- RedFull-body Wines 59-65°F --- Red Aged Wines

Serving Considerations There are important factors toconsider when pouring the wine at a Wine Tasting Party.

1. Fill the glasses only one-third full. This will preventanyone from swirling the wine on your tablecloth or carpeting.2. Expect to serve about eight to twelve samples from each 750ml bottle. 3. As a rule, serve white wines before red wines anddry wines before sweet. 4. Blush wines are served as you wouldserve a rose, in-between the white and the reds. 5. The servingorder is more common sense than etiquette. 6. Sweet wines have atendency to over power the taste buds giving a sensation ofbitterness to the dry wines.

Sights The first step in the tasting process is toexamine the wine and take note of the color, clarity, andtransparency of the wine. Young wines are typically very clear.Older blends may be expected to have a little sediment. There isa lot to this and it takes a bit of experience to understandwhich hues are right for each type.

Smell The second step is in the pleasure of smelling thewine. Swirl the wine around in the glass which awakens itsaromas or bouquets. It is important to take a good sniff of thebouquet and try to detect unique fragrances. If are new at this,don´t fret, you will get better over time.

Taste Now the fun part of actually tasting the wine. Takea sip and roll the wine over your tongue. Different parts of thetongue will register different tastes so be sure to roll thewine around in your mouth. Try to focus on the characteristicsof the wine, such as body, sweetness, tartness, bitterness, andfruitiness. You should also take notice the subtleties of thewine´s aftertaste.

About the author:Contributor: Stuart Glasure, A wine enthusiast and publishingmember of the Wine Learning Center athttp://www.WineDefinitions.com.