28 Oct Which Wine is Witch? A Halloween Wine Tasting
Download this great tasting card and tags from our friends at FTD.com
If you aren’t caught up in trick or treating this Halloween weekend, you might consider gathering some friends for a blind wine tasting party. A blind tasting means that everyone tastes a series of wines without knowing what they are by covering the bottles with bags or aluminum foil. This is a great way to focus on the wine without having preconceived notions. The task is to guess the identity of the wine or Which Wine is Witch. You can try to guess the varietal, the least or most expensive and, of course, vote on a favorite. It’s easier than you think, not to mention fun. You and your guests are certain to learn more about wine and each other. Costumes are optional. 🙂
Here’s what you need to know to create your Which Wine is Witch? Halloween Tasting:
Pick a party theme. Try wines from specific countries (Spanish wines), certain grape varietals (Chardonnay or Petit Syrah), price range (under $20), or, perhaps, unusual labels (spooky ones?) —be creative! Looking for inspiration? Search the Internet to see what wine professionals are doing, try http://www.localwineevents.com. Don’t forget to ask the salesperson at your local wine store, they might have great ideas, too.
Choose a format. This can be done as a sit down tasting, with each person tasting wines side-by-side, or you can place the wines around the room and taste them one by one. The sit down format requires a significant amount of glassware, depending on the number of friends you invite. Catering companies often rent wine glasses for reasonable rates, though. Our friends at FTD.com have a few more ideas on creating a spooky wine event here and you can download their printable tasting cards here.
Invite friends. Invitations are as easy as sending an email, or using an online invitation service like http://www.Evite.com. Ask guests to bring wines appropriate to the theme. Remember to make sure you have adequate room and glassware for your guests. Eight to twelve people is an optimal size for a home wine tasting party—enough people to be interesting, yet still manageable. Wine tasting parties are also great for making new friends. A great old proverb says “Over a bottle of wine many a friend is made.” You are guaranteed to prove the truth of this the night of your tasting!
Food, Wine & Friends make the perfect pairings this Halloween!
Think about food pairings. An easy way to handle the food issue is to ask guests to bring a light dish or appetizer to go with their wine, such as cheeses, olives and meats (like salami, pepperoni, etc.). This way there is a variety of foods for testing with different wines.
As a general rule: light fare goes best with lighter bodied, more delicate wines; fuller bodied, more intense wines go best with bigger foods. For instance, white wines are a natural with salads and seafood whereas hearty reds match the fuller fat content of meatier dishes. Don’t be constrained by this color rule, though—white wines with seafood and red wines with meat. This is just a general rule and is, of course, meant to be broken! Fuller whites, like a buttery Chardonnay, can match nicely with a chicken or pork dish whereas a light red, like Pinot Noir, is a natural with a fabulous piece of salmon.
To test how the various foods go with each wine, make what I call a “wine sandwich™.” Take a sip of the wine alone. Next, take a bite of food, followed by a second sip of the same wine. The second sip will demonstrate the effect the food has on the wine. It’s a tasty method to learn what pairings work and which do not!
Taste the wine. Have water and bread or crackers available for palate cleansing in between tastings. Pour about an ounce or two of wine in the glasses (one ounce is approximately the width of one finger). Guests may not finish the entire sample, so have empty ice buckets or pitchers to discard the wine. Provide tasting sheets for guests to take notes, guess the identity of each wine and score their favorites. Be sure to give folks enough time to taste and discuss each sample before moving to the next wine. You’ll quickly find that people have different opinions about the same wine. Once tasting is completed, unveil Which Wine is Witch and see who guessed correctly.
Happy Halloween!