Vertical Wine Tasting: A vertical tasting is conducted by tasting one wine from the same maker and vineyard, yet from various vintage years. It allows you to experience the dramatic or subtle changes that can occur from year to year in the world of wine. In addition to seeing how weather patterns affect the grapes, this type of tasting allows you to experience a particular winery's unique style and composition.
Horizontal Tasting: This type of tasting focuses on one type of wine, but from multiple producers. You can taste the incredible differences in various winemakers' composition and style. Wines in this tasting can be from multiple wineries in the same region or they can feature the same varietal from different states or countries.
Regional Tasting: A regional tasting focuses on wines from a particular region. Experience the nuances of wineries from the same climate and culture, tasting each to encounter the differences in their unique flavors and compositions.
Old World vs. New World Tasting: Compare wines from the "Old World" (i.e. Europe) with the same varietal from the "New World" (i.e. North and South America, Australia and New Zealand). As you experience the differences in flavor and profile, you'll be able to determine whether you have a preference for the old or new approach to wine making.
Blind Tasting: Cover bottles with foil or a brown bag, marking them with a number prior to serving. Pour each wine without identifying the label, allowing guests to incorporate all their senses to judge the respective wines. Try tasting wines at different price points, asking guests to guess which are more expensive and discuss whether they're worth the additional money.
Wine & Cheese Tasting: Experience the influence particular cheeses have on different wines. For this style of tasting, first sample a wine before biting the cheese. Then, introduce the cheese and reassess the wine's qualities in light of the subtle flavor changes that occur with the pairing.
Wine & Chocolate Tasting: For this style of tasting, the wine should be at least as sweet as the chocolate with which you are pairing it. Match lighter, delicate flavored chocolates with lighter-bodied wines and stronger chocolates with more full-bodied wines. To experience the influence that chocolate has on different wines, first sample a wine before introducing the chocolate. Then, taste the chocolate and reassess the wine's qualities based on the flavor changes that occur with the pairing.