5 Tips For a Great Wine Tasting Party

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5 tips for hosting a fantastic wine tasting party for all of your friends!

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

Personalized music note wine glass and tasting note sheet

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.

Two Notable wine bottles with bacon-wrapped goat cheese stuffed dates

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!

All the makings for a perfect wine night! Chardonnay wine paired with bacon wrapped goat cheese dates, cranberry tartlets, and puff pastry

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!

Wine night appetizers for perfect wine night - goat cheese and bacon dates, cranberry tarts, fresh fruit

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]

Printable tasting notes for a wine party

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

Bacon Wrapped Goat Cheese Dates

This tasty appetizer combines sweet and savory flavors

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce bag pitted dates
  • 1 pound bacon
  • 4 ounces goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the over to 425.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Bake the dates for about 20-25 minutes, until the bacon is crispy.
  5. Allow to cool just slightly before serving. Refrigerate any left overs.
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Delicious bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese to compliment Chardonnay wine tasting

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