I have been asked by my church to do a wine tasting as a social event. I am happy and excited to do it, but am not sure how to organize it (by region, varietal, color, vintage, etc.).
The crowd is mixed in terms of wine knowledge (and religion as well, although that’s not the point), but most are newbies and none is a wine geek.
How would you organize the tasting?
I plan on a starter and then 4 wines with bread, cheeses, light apps and a small desert.
The “problem” is that some will say they only like white wines, others only red, etc.
Lyle’s approach is a good one. I did something similar, if somewhat less structured, for a bunch of PTA folks that my wife wanted to have over for a cocktail party. I grouped mine by mostly by varietal, various price points and quality levels. It ended up being the same sort of “eye opener” Lyle describes with his “Old World / New World” model. I think that no matter what you do, the opportunity to taste a bunch of wines side-by-side will be a new and fun experience for most of your guests:
My flights were:
Sparklers - everything from Cava to Veuve to California
Still whites - chardonnay, Rhone, Bordeaux blanc and a few other oddballs from Spain. This flight was fun for those who think white wine and chardonnay are synonymous.
Pinots - Oregon vs California
Syrahs - samples from around the world (France, US, Oz)
Steve,
I’ve done a number of these kinds of tastings and very much enjoyed them. If you’re only doing 4-5 wines, there’s not a whole
lot of “organizing” you can do w/ that few of wines (like OldWorld vs NewWorld).
So…what I would do (and have done) is just select the 4-5 wines as something you know & love, reasonably priced, and just
present the wines and talk about them (the origins, what you taste in the wine, where it might go, what would go with it, etc).
The nubes will recognize you as a “wine expert” and your talking will unleash a lot of questions from them…as been my experience.
So that’d be my suggestion. Don’t overthink something that is partially a learning experience for them and mostly a social event
for everybody and don’t try to baffle them with bull$hit (us LosAlamos types are experts at that!!).
Tom
I auction off an in-home wine tasting each year for an organization I belong to and have done a number of tastings for various levels of experience.
If it’s truly a newbie class, and some folks are going to barely tell you white v. red, re-think your tasting. Merlot v. St. Emilion is great for those with real interest but low experience in wine. What if you don’t know what you like…at all?
I’ve found that one of the most well received tastings is a variety ramp of light to dark fruits.
sav blanc, chardonnay, pinot, merlot, syrah, cab. or something in a similar order depending on the wines. That lets your guests taste many different varieties of wine to see what their favorite really is. It also greatly contrasts styles. A crisp sauvignon blanc v. a classic cali chard will get people leaning one way or the other very quickly.
Plus, most of these folks may continue on ordering by variety off the by-the-glass menu, and you’ve helped them identify something they can go to quickly with a reasonable assurance of enjoyment.
I usually run the old v. new for folks that have interest in learning quite a bit about wine, but who lack bottle experience. It’s a wonderful tasting and they eat it up, like Lyle said. Just seems to be a bit more focused.
I did something like this a while ago. I agree on the old vs new world theme. If you want to try something with some age, I had two vintages of the same wine (Lanessan '96 and '09) then contrasted the 09 with a Cali Cab to return to the old vs new.
My very first wine tasting was done this way. Called “Discover Your Palate.” Three whites served single blind, only the varieties (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling) revealed, followed by much discussion of the typical aromas and flavors for each variety. Then the tasters write down their guesses, and the wines are revealed. Repeat with three reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Gamay are good choices). Just be sure to pick wines that exhibit distinct varietal character, not obscured by oak, etc.
Beginners are thrilled to learn that they really can identify varieties by smell and taste.
Keep it simple, keep it cheap. Have variety. Encourage people to try the wine before the food then again after and think about the differences. Watch for folks gulping and encourage them to smell the wine first.
Yes, they are. I would print out basic descriptors of each grape variety and allow folks to match them up to the wines. Again, the leader needs to pick the right wines.
You can also start introducing Old World…New World concepts with labels that show grape name…vs. place name…etc.
Newbs are often shocked to learn that Burgundy is Pinot, etc. etc.
So I took the advice of many here. The wine tasting was fun and I think people liked it. Thanks to all.
Here is what I served. For the most part, I wanted the wines to be in the low to mid teens, so that I wouldn’t scare anyone away from purchasing wines that they liked. I also did some cellar cleaning with the reds. It was interesting to see what people liked and what they hated. I despised the Hall Jack’s Masterpiece (served last) as did about half of the participants). The other half (surprise, surprise, surprise) loved it.
The Loosen Dry Riesling was a huge hit. The Beaujolais opened many people’s eyes to Gamay, which was fun.
Almost everyone liked the Falesco merlot, and most (thanks to Sideways) thought they hated merlot.
Starter
2012 La Vigne en Veron Chinon Rose
Whites
2010 Dr. Loosen Red Slate Riesling DRy
2011 Saget La Perriere La Petite Perriere Savignon Blanc
2010 Vincent Dampf Petit Chablis
Reds
2011 Buchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bourgogne (Pinot Noir)
I finished the 2018 Saget La Perriere ‘La Petite Perriere’ [Vin de France] over 3-4 nights last week, when the Mrs needed a blanc to make a clam sauce. It’s a good example of Loire-ish SB, and I like it better than NZSB. Only 12.5% abv and crisply gluggable. Supposedly there are some Loire grapes to give it edge, and ‘southern France’ SB to give it fruit, and like most oenophiles I’m suspicious of non AOC/DO/DOCG/AVA wines, but the producer makes this industrial concoction work. I’ve had it in a few vintages and will keep it on my list. A very acceptable B quality wine, true to its varietal.
