Host a Wine Tasting Party

Itching to try new wines with a bunch of friends? Want to host a unique party that will have your friends talking for weeks? Then think about hosting a wine tasting party. There are several ways to do this. You can either hire professionals to come into your home to run the whole event or you can do everything yourself. Here are some helpful hints for either way. Hiring professionals: There are companies that send wine consultants into your home to school your friends about tasting wine, wine terminology and wine accessories. They bring the wine, pass out score cards, talk about each bottle and answer questions. After that, they take wine orders for those who'd like to buy. Often, hosts get special rewards for throwing the party. For example, free shipping, a free wine accessory or a percentage off their order. Do it yourself: Send out invitations to your wine tasting party and ask guests to bring a bottle of wine. It's best to stay in one theme. For example, stick to Cabernets or Chardonnays or Italian wines. When the guests arrive, bag the wines so they can't be seen and number them. As your guests go about the room tasting, they have a score sheet where they mark down what they think. The person who brought the wine most people enjoy wins a prize (perhaps a bottle of wine). As with the first option, supply light appetizers such as cheese and crackers so guests can clean their palates.