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Serve light appetizers and water before the tasting to ensure guests don't start on an empty stomach. While they're snacking, display the selection of wine bottles so they can preview what they'll be tasting. Encourage guests to study the labels, as they provide insight into the personalities of winemakers: traditional or modern, serious or playful, etc.
Each guest should have their own tasting card, allowing them to record thoughts on each wine's various qualities. The card should include spaces for Color & Intensity, Aroma, Flavor & Texture, Finish & Complexity, and Overall Impressions. There may also be space dedicated for Cheese and/or Chocolate Pairings.
Provide plain bread and water between wines so that guests can cleanse their palates and fully experience the next wine. Bread allows taste buds to stay neutral and awake by absorbing lingering flavors. Avoid anything salty or flavored to ensure the focus stays on the wine. If you'd like to serve something more substantial, wait until after the tasting session is completed so guests can enjoy food while sipping leftover wine.
Be sure to research your wine selection so you can introduce the bottles with some trivia or fun facts. Not only does this make for a more engaging and educational experience, but it provides some context to help tasters remember a wine.
Sample four to six bottles during a tasting. More than six can overwhelm the palate and make it difficult to distinguish between the wines. It is also important to work from dry to sweet with white wines and from light to full-bodied with reds. Ideally, start with younger wines and progressively move to the more mature wines.
Chill white wines overnight, as they are best served very cold. Red wine can be served at room temperature, but consider putting the bottles in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes until they are cool to the touch. Open each bottle as you move through the tasting. Red wines can be poured ahead of time (some may even benefit from having time to breathe), but white and sparkling wines should stay chilled until it's time to pour them. Pour 2 ounces of wine per glass, per wine for each tasting.
