Host a Wine Tasting!

Like a lot of people, I don’t know much about wines, but I’d like to. I don’t want to be a connoisseur, I don’t think my nose is snubbed enough for that, but I would like to know a little bit more about the stuff. I think a lot of people are like me, so let’s all get together and host a wine tasting! I’m joking, but really, wine tastings are the perfect place to start to find wines that you love.

According to Hugh, the very nice wine expert at Murphy’s in the Highlands, the sky is the limit with wine tastings. He suggests for your first wine tasting to choose a selection from each of the most popular varietals: for reds, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, syrah (shiraz); for whites, chardonnay, Chablis, sauvignon blanc, Rieslings. After you try each of these, you will have a good idea of what you like.

Keep your wine tasting small, no more than ten people; this allows everyone a chance to chat about what they like or don’t like about a wine. Assign each couple or person a wine variety to defray cost for you. For a group of ten people, you will probably want 5 or 6 bottles of wine. Double up if you want to have a really good time. Also, provide a wine tasting card so your guests can keep notes.

Remember that you want to go from least intense to most intense with your wines. Murphy's makes this easy because each of the varieties are organized right to left, least intense to most intense, around the store. Wine color will help you determine intensity, too. Always keep sweet wines until the end; sweet always overpowers dry.

The best food for a wine tasting is cheese, though you will also want to provide crusty bread and fruit with a subtle, fresh flavor, like apples, pears, and grapes. There are no hard and fast rules with pairing cheese and wine, though there are some soft guidelines: make sure that the intensity of the wine matches the intensity of the cheese; delicate cheeses should be paired with lighter wines, for example.

Here’s a quick list from Gourmet Sleuth to get you started:

Cabernet Sauvignon: Camembert, Sharp Cheddar, Danish Blue, Grafton Village Cheddar

Merlot: Abbaye de Belloc, Cantalet, Camembert, Chalosse, Gouda, Gruyere, Pecorino Toscano

Pinot Noir: Edam, Blue Cheeses, French Chevre, And Light Cheddar

Syrah: Edam, Sharp Chedder, Gouda, St. Nectaire

Chardonnay: Bel Paese, Brick, Bucheron, Cotija, Gruyere, Panela, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Provolone, Wensleydale

Chablis: brie, camembert

Sauvignon Blanc: Neufchatel, Derby, Bucheron

Riesling: Colby, Cotija, Cheshire, Edam, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Panela

Does this seem too fancy? You can hire a wine expert from Murphy’s who will come to your house and help you host. The price is $100 and doesn’t include wine or food.

Or maybe you want to go to a wine tasting rather than having one at your house. Murphy’s hosts theme wine tastings every Tuesday at 6:30. Babette’s also hosts wine tastings every month. For more information on wine events in Atlanta, go here.