Tips 4 Hosting A Wine Tasting Party

Thinking about hosting a wine tasting party? Here are some tips that are SURE to help you with this planning!!

• What's the main thing you have to have at a wine tasting party... WINE... so the first tip would be SELECTING YOUR WINES. The objective of the party is to explore wines you have NEVER tasted before, while comparing the style and quality of the wines. Be sure to purchase a variety of wine… you may even want to focus on a specific region of where the wines come from. More than anything… be adventurous, yet practical. If you really don’t know wines… you will probably want to visit a store with a knowledgeable staff to answer any questions you may have and to make suggestions. Consider selecting wines you would not normally purchase. And if you are anything like me, get at least one back up bottle of something you know you like… lol!!  

• The Guest List and Wine Buying - Determine who you want to invite and if your guests will be bringing wines. A good suggestion is to send an evite or invitation two weeks in advance that outlines the theme of the party and encourages guests to bring wine as well. However, as the host of the party, you will want to purchase enough wine for everyone. (So side note… the more people you invite, the more wine you need to buy.)

Things to include of your invite:

·         Theme of party

·         Price set for wine – will help anyone on a budget

·         General description of the menu that will be paired with wines (You have to feed them or be ready for some serious cleanup afterwards) 

•  DECORATING (my favorite part) – Wine tasting parties can be as casual or formal as you like. The basic supplies for a wine tasting are:

• Plain bread or crackers and cheese. Something light that will help “clean the palate.
• Wine glasses. At least one per guests
• Pitcher of water: For cleaning out the glasses between each tasting.
• Dump bucket: For discarding wine before the next pouring or for spitting out. Now when I read this… uummm I am not one to spit out wine or let it go to waste. I would rather just weather through the storm! LoL All things must come to an end :-/
• Tasting cards & pens/pencils: For describing and recording each wine taste. 
• Paper bags: To cover  the labels for blind  tastings (my wine tastings will not have paper bags as I do not know wine got enough YET to do such.
• If possible, places the wines on a large table with good lighting. A cheap white tablecloth is recommended as a solid background to assess the color of the wines. The table does not have to be high quality because if someone spills so red wine on it… you don’t want to catch a heart attack! If it’s a cheap table linen, if stained, it won’t hurt “too much” to throw them away.

•  ATMOSPHERE & EDUCATION – Set the atmosphere!! Keep the feeling light and casual, with lots of comfort. Atmosphere is key to the enjoyment of wine, so make sure and have the right mood. Candles should be UNscented (I know how we like our scents ladies), so that they do not interfere when smelling the wine.

• THE TASTING – I mean what is the point of the party if you are not tasting! People taste wines in all different ways, but typically you want to work from sweet to dry. If you don’t know the classification of your wine here is where your helpful wine store associate would come into great play! You should progress from light to full-bodied with red wines. Note the unique color, smells, and flavors – all in all have FUN and drink a lot!! (Be responsible though) This is not a professional wine tasting. So don’t swirl your glass so hard that your wine sloshes over the side… lol!! This is just fun with a little education, so enjoy. A simple tasting card to write down your observations and thoughts is always a good idea, especially if you find a wine you want to purchase yourself

• After the gathering, send out an email or note that includes a list of the wines served and where they were purchase, so that guests can buy a bottle on their own. 

http://yievents.blogspot.com/2010/08/2-ways-to-throw-wine-tasting-party.html

 

Margarita Ice Pops

So if you know me... you know that I LOVE MARGARITAS!! And this post seemed fitting today, as my brother is in town and he ALWAYS has something to say about my tequila stash. Like I always tell him, you have to have an assortment of tequila... bottom shelf to top shelf. Top shelf is for sipping and bottom shelf is for mixing! It always taste the same when its mixed together and when its FREE most people don't care what it is!!


Ok margaritas = tequila... which always makes for a great day! So I saw this recipe on Hostess with the Mostess and knew I HAD to share because warm weather is here, I am pulling out patio furniture and getting ready for some summertime FUN! This recipe gives a unique twist to the frozen margarita and with Cinco de Mayo only 2 weeks away best to start trying out drink concoctions NOW!


The original recipe is form Bon Appetite and couldn't be easier to make. You basically take lime flavored ice pops or fruit bars... they say pour... I say SOAK and soak the pops in a mixture of tequila and lime, then lightly dip 1 edge of the pop into kosher salt.  Or you could just mix up your own margarita... freeze them into pops and then dip into salt. I would go with option #2!


Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• they say 2 tablespoons of tequila... I say go for what you know ;-)
• 2 tablespons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
• Kosher salt, for garnish
• Small cups (Dixie bathroom cups... you know the ones you use to use to make kool-aid pops)
• Popsicle sticks

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, lime juice, water, lemon juice, and orange juice into a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
4. Once cool, transfer to a blender with tequila, orange liqueur, and lime wedge and process until smooth. 
5. Pour into cups and cover the top of each cup with foil.
6. Place the popsicle stick in center of cup (down through foil, which will hold it in place).
7. Freeze until hard, preferable overnight.
8. Remove from freezer and run cup under warm water to loosen popsicle.
9. Garnish with kosher salt and serve.

ENJOY

Summer Time Entertaining

Summer is RIGHT around the corner... or rather for the south did it ever really leave?! Anyway with warm weather knocking at the door, I want to be prepared for the spring/summer "gatherings"... not parties... I plan on having this year. My biggest thing is that I am NOT a cook, so I need to do things that don't require much effort, but look and taste GREAT. And searching around the net, I have definitely found some options. 

Ice cubes... I am sure you are thinking it's just ice. But it's ice with fruit or mint frozen into the cubes. Not only do they look great, but once the ice melts they add another element to the drink. Also think about freezing grapes and using those as ice cubes. And the greatest thing about grapes... THEY WON'T WATER DOWN YOUR DRINK... BONUS!! Ok I should definitely not be this excited about ice. 

Summer and fruit seem to go hand in hand. So why not present in style. Make a fruit rainbow.  It doesn't take much time and looks great when presented.

A summer "gathering" would not be complete with some adult beverages ;-)   The bonus is I LOVE strawberries, so this treat is right up my alley. Here is the link of how to make these here.  There is TEQUILA is this little bundle!!

One last thing for the party... a Fruit Pop. I noticed that I wrote alot about fruit. Next one I do on summertime entertaining... I will actually do some real food. But for this last one 'really simple just put fruit in some water, stick a handle in and freeze. But that water thing... once again its summer... I would put mine in pineapple or orange juice and a splash of tequila.  Did I mention that I love tequila? This is a really simple, basic item to make and really helps cool the body down. 

Happy Planning... ENJOY