5 Tips For a Great Wine Tasting Party
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The best kind of Friday nights include our closet friends, pizza, and wine. The only thing better is when we kick it up a notch, for casual wine tasting nights with small bites!
Hosting a wine night is a pretty simple way to gather with your favorite people with some great drinks and tasty food! Take a look at a few tips (plus a recipe and printable) for having a great wine night with Notable Chardonnay!
How to host a great wine night
Choose the perfect wine
Thanks to the notes that highlight flavor profiles right on the front of the bottom, Notable wines make it easy to choose the perfect wine for your evening. Most recently, I grabbed a Fruity & Crisp Chardonnay, along with an Oaky & buttery Chardonnay. Both of which I knew would pair perfectly with the cheeses and snacks I was planning on serving.
Serve the wine correctly
My friends like to tease me for being a wine snob (LOL), but serving wine at the correct temperature and in the correct glass helps it taste it’s very best. Chardonnays should be around 50-60º, which equates to about an hour or two in the fridge.
Additionally, the wine glass makes a difference as well. Wine glasses are not one-size fits all. Even your typical “white wine glass” is not meant for all white wines. Luckily, the standard tall white wine glass is the perfect glass for Chardonnay. Be sure to hold the glass by the stem, so that the heat for your hand doesn’t transfer to the wine.
I promise to keep it more low-key from here!
Choose the perfect snacks
Bite-sized snacks make sipping and eating at the same time convenient. Choosing a flavors that compliment each other is key! To go along with the oaky & buttery I made one of my favorite hors d’oeuvres, bacon-wrapped goat cheese dates (recipe below). Goat cheese is a mild cheese that pairs perfectly with vanilla and buttery flavors in the Notable Oaky & Buttery Chardonnay.
Tossing some fruit on the table along with some simple baked brie bites, round out the selection!
Take notes
Taking and keeping notes will help you learn and remember which types of flavors you like best. There’s no right or wrong here, it’s all about what you like! I’ve included a printable note taking sheet to help you out! [Lined tasting notes printable] [Unlined tasting notes printable]
Set the mood
Finally, be sure to create the perfect harmonious atmosphere with the perfect playlist! I mean, you are drinking a wine with music notes on the label! Set a playlist ahead of time, so that you don’t have to fumble around with it come wine night! Mellow tunes win me over every time!
Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Dates
This tasty appetizer combines sweet and savory flavors
Ingredients
- 8 ounce bag pitted dates
- 1 pound bacon
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the over to 425.
- Take the pitted dates, and make a slice down from the top to the bottom to open the date. Stuff the opened dates with goat cheese.
- Slice the bacon slab in half, turning each slice of bacon into two slices. Wrap each slice around a stuffed date, and place it seam side down on a baking sheet, with space between each date so that they're not touching.
- Bake the dates for about 20-25 minutes, until the bacon is crispy.
- Allow to cool just slightly before serving. Refrigerate any left overs.
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