So what is a vertical you ask? No, your guests don't have to be standing up to enjoy your vertical party. For that matter, the glass doesn't even have to be vertical...although the host may prefer your glass remain somewhat vertical to prevent those awful red wine spills on the carpet.

Creating and hosting a party with a theme can be much less haphazard and more interesting. Theme parties tend to keep your guests more focused on the central attraction of the party, which is the wine you are serving.

At a vertical the guests will be scoring wines from the same producer, same varietal but different vintages. For example: you could serve an Ackerman Cabernet 2002, 2003 and 2004 or a Mason Nicolas Beaujolais Nouveaux 1998, 2000, 2001 etc. As long as the wines are from the same producer and the same type of wine but different years...you can chose to serve whatever you like in a vertical wine tasting.

A vertical party may require a little more effort, but you can create a great vertical by saving up on back vintages of wines or procuring them as you come across them in your favorite wine shops. You don't need to do 10 or 15 years of vintage for a vertical party. You can invite your guests to a "5 Year Vintage Vertical Tasting". Too many vintages and your guests may truly be horizontal rather than vertical by the end of the party. There is really no set number as to the number of wines you need for a vertical wine tasting...just that you do have a few vintages of the varietal you have chosen.

Neither do you have to have the vintages in a row. In other words, it's not necessary to have a 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 etc. order in your vertical tastings.



You can just as well do a 1995, 1998, 2002 etc. Be creative and serve what you can easily find at your local wine shops.

Regarding the order to serve the wines in, their are different opinions as to whether to serve from younger to older or older to younger. The general belief is that the wines should be served from youngest to oldest with the reasoning being that younger wines tend to be more simple in taste while the older wines are more comples. Serving wines in this order tends to build up the palate through the tasting.

On the other hand some younger wines can be quite bold while older wines may be more subtle, so by serving from youngest to oldest the palate may burn out early and your guests will not be able to enjoy and appreciate the subtleties of the older wines. I really feel it's all in relation to the vintages (ages) of the wines you are serving. If the wines are all relatively new the order of tasting may not matter. However if you are throwing in a much much older vintage with newer vintages you may want the older vintage to get special attention and consideration.

If you're doing a blind I would suggest you mix the order up as to alleviate any perceptions or expectancies of your guests. You can make your vertical party more fun and interesting by turning it into a blind wine tasting. This also ensures an impartial judgement of the wine. You can remove the labels from the wine bottles and place them in wine bags so your guests have no idea the vintage of the wine. It's always interesting to see if your guest tasters can really tell the difference between an older more expensive varietal as opposed to that younger and obviously much "cheaper" wine. Have fun with it...after all it's your party.

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