Have you ever wanted to do a wine tasting with your friends, but have no idea where to begin? That’s where I come in!
I fell in love with wine tasting in 2020 when my gym closed, and created a book and wine club to keep the community going. I couldn’t be more thankful for that pivot. Since then, I’ve taken 3 wine courses at George Brown which have introduced me to educational tasting processes and the basics of each famous wine region. My classes have had a large focus on France, and I’ve also tried lots of Italian wines.
This guide is meant to give inspiration and ideas for wine tasting, and make something complicated nice and simple. Wine tasting is perfect for girls night, birthdays and anything in between!
Now for the tasting steps…
Step 1: Pick a theme
I love a theme. It helps you compare and contrast wines so you can learn more about them. Here are some themes I’ve done in the past:
- An introduction to cold climate vs. warm climate wines
- A journey through France
- Evolution of Valpolicella to Amarone
- Ontario vs. the world
Pick something that you are comfortable walking the group through, even if you’re not an expert.
Step 2: Select your wines
I like to pick 4 wines for a group of 4-6, keeping it simple but enough to see a difference. Stick to the theme, and have some of the wines directly comparable to one another.
Some suggestions:
- 2 white wines & 2 reds from warm vs. cold climates
- A flight of the same varietal from different places
- Popular wines across a country
Step 3: Create a worksheet
I love a Canva project. Working through each wine methodically allows you to really learn what makes each wine special. I use the framework that I learned in wine tasting classes.
I’ll link some of my past worksheets on the blog.
Categories include sight, aromas and palate. Work through each section, and talk about it as a group.
At the end, you can even guess the name, varietal and region of the wine.
Step 4: Pair with some food
A must: water crackers and glasses of water, so that you can cleanse your palate between wines. I also love pairing wines with cheese or other charcuterie when it makes sense.
You can even base your tasting around pairings – for example, I’ve done wine & chips in the past, where each person at the party brought their own pairing.
Step 5: Taste away!
Today’s the day for your wine tasting. Open each bottle and pour a taste for each person. Try to have 2 wines on the go at the same time to taste them against one another.
There isn’t a simple rule for decanting, but if you’re tasting big, bold reds, I suggest looking online for some tips on whether you should decant them, and for how long. This will absolutely help your tasting notes.
Worksheet
Want more wine tasting ideas? Check out these posts.
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