Entertaining Ideas
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Wine Tasting Party
Hi Ladies - I was wondering if you had any simple idea for a wine tasting party. I was thinking along the lines of doing a few whites and a few reds and maybe pairing an appetizer with each selection? I am soo open to any other ideas. For the informative wine part, I was thinking of doing a small description of each wine while we were tasting. Just looking for a little feedback 
Re: Wine Tasting Party
How about featuring wines and appies by region? French, Italian, Napa Valley.
Or you could do a Fall wine tasting, featuring a seasonal menu and compliementary wines.
I like the idea of doing a small description of each wine. I'd maybe put together little wine tasting notebooks so guests could write down there thoughts and tasting notes after each wine.
I'm lucky to have a great local wine store, with a staff that is so informative easy to talk to. So I would start by chatting with someone there. They also have wine tasting each week. My favorite are when I have a chance to sample wines that have something in common. For example, wines for a particular region (Alsace, Piedmont, Friuli, Napa, Willamette Valley etc.) or the same grape from very different regions. Chardonnay is a terrific example of how a grape can produce very different wines. An unoaked Chardonnay from France is a refreshing, crisp alternative to the typical buttery California Chardonnay.
For some fun facts, Wine for dummies is a great, easy to read book. It's filled with silly facts that would be fun for a wine tasting party.
It's also great to offer cute, printed sheets for people to take notes on the wines. You can search for wine tasting and find suggestions easily on-line.
As far as apps. just make sure the food does not take away from the wine. This is where a great wine shop will be really helpful.
Good luck and have fun!
Make sure to include some "palate cleansers" like crackers (not too salty) or bread to refresh the palate between wines. Also have some water available for the same reason. At our last party I printed out a little description card (you can use an 8.5x11" piece cut into quarters) with the Name of the wine, vineyard, year, flavors, and background of winery (if there is one available).
Sounds like so much fun! Good luck.
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It's a wine/cheese theme, but with wine tasting, you can follow these guidelines and pick out a few whites and reds. Start from the sweetest white to the driest red.
Don't rush it, and don't pour too much in the cups
After trying them everyone will have lots more of their favorites!
A good way to save money, if you're interested, is have everyone bring a bottle. Unfortunately, it's hard to organize who brings what, so you can inform someone to pick out a reisling, a merlot, a white zin, and so forth.
Ideally you'll want a bottle (or many) of champagne for afterwards. The desert-y one
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