Hosting a bridal shower??? Well, if you think you need to be a wine expert to enjoy it, or you feel subdued at wine tastings because of some wine expert out there or if you consider the idea of hosting wine tasting is going to be exorbitant, then let me tell you what all you think is wrong. Yeah, neither you have to be an expert nor hosting a wine tasting at your bridal shower going to be expensive.
In fact, there are several ways you can host an inexpensive wine tasting during a bridal, and it will be fun. Wine tasting is a great way to acquaint yourself, your family and your friends with new wines, and also build a great bond over the wine. Not only this, but a wine tasting is a great way to introduce beginners to tasting wine also it will allow experienced tasters to share their knowledge and experience during the wine tasting.
Whether you love red wine or white, if you are planning to do DIY wine tasting, then here is everything you need to know to plan a DIY wine tasting.
Keep reading…
1. Create a Guest List
First things first, it is crucial that you create a guest list and stick to the same. Well, it may look like… yeah what’s new in it… As you know there are people who don’t RSVP but show up anyway. So, it is always better to gently remind your guests to send RSVP, their definite answer whether yes or no. Of course, you will never want to have some extra people at the tasting and not enough wine to serve. How chaotic the whole scenario will be if there are extra people. So, it is advised to stick to your guest list.
2. Select Your Wine
For your wine tasting party, red, white, or rosé, anything is okay, but for comparing the wines you need to stick to one kind – all white, all red, like that. Once you know which type of wine you want to serve, you need to choose the different brands of wine. Make sure you don’t choose too much, choosing five to six different brands is just fine to have enough variety at the party and keep your guests sipping. If you want you can even select a wine from a particular region. This will also help to create a theme accordingly.
The quantity of wine you need will depend on the size of your bridal shower. Basically, there is an equation to simplify your calculation, based on that you can plan how much wine you will need:
Number of guests at the party x 1.5 = Total number of bottles needed (Round up to nearest even number).
Now, divide the total by two, so that you can get the number of different wines to try, and purchase two bottles of each wine accordingly. For instance, your wine tasting party will have eight guests: 8 guests x 1.5 = 12. If you have planned to buy six varieties of wine then you will need two bottles of each wine, which means the total number of bottles needed will be 12. Also, you don’t have to fill up the glasses completely. An average 750ML or 25.4oz wine bottle is considered enough for about 8 people.
However, it is recommended to have an extra bottle as well. In case someone wants a refill of their favourite wine after the tasting is over, at least wine will be readily available. Plus, once you know the right wine you’ll want to have enough of that wine for a toast!
Also, hosting a wine tasting doesn’t have to be a costly affair. See if there is any offer going on large purchases as some store owners offer a discount for large wine purchases.
4. Set Them Up Secretly
Now is the time to set your bottles. Obviously, you would never want to reveal the identity of the brands. So, for keeping the identity of each label under wraps, better to assign each bottle a number. Then, you will have to create a place mat. You will need to add placeholders to show where each glass of wine should go. To create the placeholder for each wine you can DIY it or you can add numbered circles for every brand of wine. Also, you can customize the paper with some quotes or messages on it.
Another component you would want is a wine scorecard. You can DIY your wine scorecard. You can get creative and design your own scorecard with some beautiful quote or hashtag on it. Scorecard will allow your wine tasting guests to track their notes and assign numerical values to each wine. Lastly, make sure you arrange for enough pens to write and water to cleanse the palette for each party guest.
5. Decide the theme
Hosting a wine tasting party is a lot like curating a museum. For making your party more fun, give your event an extra pompous. Don’t go simple, try to do something special, something extraordinary to have that feel and ambiance. You can create a fun bar or bar cart to make it more interesting. For that you can deck your tables out with flowers, bouquet, balloons, or tossed confetti, or you can incorporate fun signage and table cards to make your venue look really great. You can also DIY your food placement.
6. It’s Time to Execute
Now it is the time to execute and for that you need to have your girls to enjoy and savor each sip. Invite your girl team to judge the appearance, aroma, body, taste, and finish of each wine in front of them. Although the responses will be different based on an individual’s taste. But wine tasting party is a great way for your friends and family to know each other and bond.
7. Enjoy the Party
Last but not the least, your wedding is a once in a lifetime event and it becomes crucial that you enjoy every bit of it. Whether it is your wine tasting party or the main wedding, you need to enjoy everything related to your wedding. Your wine tasting party is not just a small occasion in fact this is the time when you will create beautiful memories that you will cherish all your life. Therefore, it is important that you along with your loved ones and friends enjoy every occasion.
Wrapping up,
You can make your wine tasting party as enthralling as you want. There are no hard-and-fast rules about how it should be. The idea is to enjoy wine, however, there is no rule hoe to enjoy wine. But it is important to remember to engage all of your senses when tasting wine. Unless you engage your senses how will you know how does the wine smell, taste, etc. While tasting the wine remember the four “S” (see, swirl, sniff, and sip) that’s the formula actually☺. First, see your wine, then give your glass a swirl to help release the scent of the wine, smell the wine. Don’t hesitate or describe the smell as there are no wrong answers.
Finally, taste the wine. Take a sip of the wine while you breathe in; it will aerate the wine, bringing out its flavors. Don’t just gulp the wine, hold it in your mouth and observe what you taste.
Here are some common phrases that are used to describe wine:
Dry — Table wines are usually considered “dry” as opposed to sweet.
Full-bodied — Silky, buttery texture in the mouth.
Acidic — Tartness or sourness.
Serve your wine at the right temperature, as it will help to maximize its flavor. Because serving a wine overly warm or chilled can affect the taste of the wine adversely. However, you can go by this rule while you serve your wines: Remove whites and rosés from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving, and chill your reds for about 15 minutes before serving.
If you are serving white, roses and reds all. The make sure you serve them in the order from the lightest to darkest. Dark reds are considered the “heaviest” in flavor.
Moreover, if you’re not a wine expert, ask for recommendations from your friends or maybe from some relative about where to shop locally for wine. Mostly you will find these store owners are passionate about their product and are very knowledgeable and informative about wines from all over the world. In fact, if you ask and tell your budget they can even direct you to wines that are within your budget. Also, some of them will even allow you to sample them there in the store itself.
