A Sensuous Wine Tasting Party

By Jeanne Benedict

Wine Tasting

Anyone can embrace wine tasting at a party designed to stimulate guests’ senses and arouse their palates. Set out bowls of ingredients like berries or apples, to assist guests in detecting the aromatic notes that wine pros always reference. After this party, even the first-time wine drinker will taste the cherries, or licorice lingering in that evening's vintage.

Under The Cork

What do wine connoisseurs look for under the cork? An excellent wine balances the flavor of the grape with the aromatic tones of the cask, and the vintner’s special crafting secrets. Experts also have their technical checklist of tannins, acidity, weight, and so on, which they mentally compute with every sip. Perhaps the best indication of a wine’s quality is the “aftertaste” or “finish.” A wine that pleasantly lingers on your palate for 20 to 30 seconds is usually considered to be outstanding.

Put the professional standards aside for your wine tasting party. Your guests already have the knowledge they need to figure out their likes and dislikes in a bottle of wine. As the party host, you can help them along by “priming their palates.” Tasting notes on a bottle of wine often spell out specific characteristics or ingredients that the pros have identified, such as “tones of ripe berries” or “notes of stone fruit”. By setting out bowls of these ingredients at your wine tasting party, guests can prime their senses to detect the nuances in a bottle of wine, by smelling the ingredient first, and then taking a whiff of the wine. It gives their palate a “head start” through the sense of smell, which is really how we “taste” wine.

Aromatic ABC’s of Wine Tasting

Our four basic tastes, (sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) don’t really tell us about the nuances of wine. It’s our sense of smell that identifies most flavor characteristics. Wine is consumed through our mouth, therefore we use the term “taste.” But, it is the marriage of our nose and tongue which sends a signal to the brain that says, “Oh yeah, vanilla is what I'm enjoying in this glass of Chardonnay.”

Red and White Wine

Prepping Your Wine Tasting Party

As this party is all about experiencing whatever the wine’s aroma offers, ask guests to bring their favorite bottle of wine. Request that they inform you of their choice ahead of time, so you can look up the wine's tasting notes, and choose the priming ingredients. Tasting notes can usually be found on the winemaker’s website, or search for the particular bottle at an online store like Wine.com. Make sure that you'll have a few bottles of both red and white wine for a nice variety.

 

Wine Tasting Table Set Up

  • Line up the wine bottles along the back of the tasting table.
  • Place small bowls or ramekins of the priming ingredients in front of the wine they represent. For example, a bottle of Merlot may have bowls containing chocolate and blackberries in front of it, and Chardonnay may have bowls of vanilla bean and apple as a primer.
  • Create a note card for each bottle of wine with its tasting notes, and place the cards behind their bottles.
  • Place red and white wine glasses on either end of the table.
  • Place a couple of pitchers of water on the table, and a discard container. Guests can rinse their glasses with the water and then pour it into the container, or use it as a spittoon.
  • Offer plain crackers as a palate cleanser between wines.

 

Wine & Priming Ingredient Match-Up

Chardonnay: butter, vanilla, apple, pear, charred oak, toasted almonds, caramel, peaches

Sauvignon Blanc: pineapple, apple, fresh grass or wheat grass, nectarines, melon, orange slices, apricot jam, jasmine blossoms

Pinot Grigio/Gris: lemon peel, white pepper, honey, straw, peaches, grapefruit, rose petals

Cabernet Sauvignon: black peppercorns, blackberries, dark chocolate, currant jam, black licorice, cloves, cinnamon

Merlot: blackberries, plum jam, cherries, boysenberry jam, milk chocolate, espresso beans, fresh mint

Syrah/Shiraz: blackberries, violets, strawberry jam, cedar chips, mushrooms, tea leaves

Pairing Wine with Priming Ingredients

Tasting notes will help you determine the priming ingredients you’re going to set out at the party. The "Wine & Priming Ingredient Match-Up" is a list of some excellent priming ingredients to be paired with popular varietals. Some ingredients will serve as primers for a couple of wines, such as apples, which can be used for many white wines, or blackberries, suitable for many red wines. Although I’ve only chosen six types of wine, the primer ingredients listed should work with similar varietals.

 

How This Tasting Works

Encourage guests to smell a primer ingredient, and then sniff the wine’s bouquet. They should immediately be able to detect if the ingredient’s scent is present in the wine’s aroma. They may move on to another ingredient or take a sip, after which they’ll read the tasting notes and discuss their findings. Oenophiles will want to delve into the complexity of the wine’s color and texture. Such discourse is educational and entertaining, but the main idea is to experience the wine through one’s senses no matter how much they know about tasting, with little attention paid to its technicalities. On with the tasting!

1. Pour a little wine in the glass.

2. Smell a primer ingredient for that wine.

3. Swirl the wine in the glass.

4. Inhale the aroma of the wine.

5. Sip the wine.

6. Read the tasting notes on the card and discuss.

 

Wine Grapes on the Vine

A Dinner from the Vineyard

After the tasting, invite guests to pick up their favorite bottles of wine and join you at the dinner table, while conversations of toasted oak and rich, fruit tones continue throughout the evening.

We invite you to tour our Wine Tasting page, where you'll find plenty of ideas and my suggestions for Chardonnay. Share your party ideas with the Celebrations Community, and send photos our way, so we can see how you celebrate! Visit my forum, Ask Jeanne, and I'll do my best to help, suggest, or inspire!

 

Chardonnay Risotto Primavera

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large brown onion, minced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups Arborio rice or long grain rice
1 cup broccoli crowns, coarsely chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup Chardonnay
1 cup sweet peas
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Add rice and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent.
Add broccoli and stir in broth 1 cup at a time. Cook, stirring constantly, until each cup of broth is fully absorbed before adding next cup. Add wine and, peas, and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is fully absorbed. If rice is not tender, stir in more broth until desired consistency. Total cooking time is about 30 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Rosemary and Garlic Marinated Mushrooms and Olives

1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Chianti
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
16 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 lb. Monterey mushrooms, scrubbed
2 (6 oz.) cans pitted black olives, drained

Whisk together oil, Chianti, vinegar, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper until combined.
Place mushrooms and olives in a large, clean screw top jar or plastic container with an airtight lid. Pour marinade over mushrooms and olives and place lid on container. Shake jar to combine and coat ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 days, shaking jar occasionally.
Before serving, bring ingredients to room temperature. Pour into a serving bowl or place on relish trays. Store for up to 1 week covered in the refrigerator.

Makes about 4 cups

White Wine Cheese Twists

1/2 (17.3 oz) package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
3 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Thaw frozen puff pastry in its package for 15 minutes at room temperature. Preheat oven to 400F (205C). Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Whisk together wine, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Unfold puff pastry sheet on a flat surface. Cut 1-inch strips widthwise. Brush strips with wine mixture. Twist strip several times like a corkscrew and lay on prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining strips. Sprinkle strips with cheese and cook for 15 – 18 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and gently peel away from wax paper. Arrange in a lined basket and set on the table.

Makes 9 twists

Ice Cream Cassata with Chocolate Rum Sauce

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons rum
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pints your favorite ice cream, softened
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Chocolate Rum Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rum
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Butter a 5 X 9-inch loaf pan and dust pan lightly with flour. Shake out excess flour.
Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating after each to incorporate. Add 3 tablespoons rum and cream and beat well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and beat into egg mixture until blended. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for about 70 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Run knife along edge of cake to loosen from pan and invert onto wire rack. Cool completely.
Trim sides and bottom crust off cake. Slice cake horizontally into 3 even layers. Place bottom layer on large sheet of plastic wrap. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon rum over cake. Spread 1/2 softened ice cream evenly over bottom cake layer. Place middle cake layer on ice cream and sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon rum over cake. Spread remaining 1/2 ice cream evenly over middle cake layer. Place top cake layer on ice cream and wrap cassata tightly in plastic sheet. Even up block shape and place back into loaf pan. Freeze for 2 hours or until solid.
Just before serving make Chocolate Rum Sauce. Heat water, rum, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until just boiling. Reduce heat to low and stir in chocolate and butter until smooth. Remove from heat.
Unwrap cassata and place on large serving platter. Pour a generous amount of sauce over top so it runs down sides. Sprinkle almonds over top. Pour remaining sauce in a bowl or spouted vessel and serve on side. Cut cassata crosswise per guest’s request and top with extra sauce. Store wrapped in plastic in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Store sauce covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Makes 10 to 12 servings


 

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