Party Panache, Wine Tasting Party
This is such a fun and easy party to throw~You can be as formal or as informal as you like…
I decided to use the dining room so we could all have a seat and make notes of our favorites
Each place is set with a “place mat” of white freezer paper and a pen for making notes to keep track of favorites, a mini bread board with some individual cheeses and an antipasto roll, a knife and an all purpose wine glass
Freezer paper is coated on one side so it’s easy to write on the non-coated paper side and the table is protected by the coating on the underside of the paper. It makes great gift wrap too!
The napkin rings are simply corks wrapped with a length of twine
The wine itself is dressed in brown paper lunch bags
The center of the table is covered with a natural fiber runner with wine corks scattered about and a painted sign
The wines are labeled with a chalkboard tag number for reference
There are plenty of nibbles around too
Leopard painted balloon glasses hold salty potato and sesame sticks
Crusty bread, grapes and a wedge of Brie
Some flax seed rice crackers and roasted garlic salsa
A sweet smart friend of mine gave me this wonderful handmade Alabama dish for Christmas, I just love it!
Just pour a scant amount of wine in each glass for guests to taste and let them take notes and refill their glass with of the ones they like best
Italian meat, cheeses, and savory crackers and snacks are great for munching while tasting and sipping. Provide a “dump” bucket for guests who don’t want to drink all the wine in their glass~The first time I visited a winery and saw people pouring out their wine I was so surprised! But if you’re going to be tasting a lot, you do have to be careful. And you might not like a particular wine. Either way it is acceptable to pour it out.
You can play a wine trivia game or draw names for prizes to add to the fun. Once all the wines have been tasted you could pass out a list of the wines and have guests match them to their numbers~
A nice bottle of wine for the winner, and a couple of fun individual bottles for runner ups. Have you seen this FLASQ wine? World Market is a good source of small bottles and little treats for gift baskets
Home Goods has a lot of fun gourmet packaged gifts too like this chocolate hazelnut biscotti
I wrapped the small bottles in brown bags to match the table and put the grand prize wine in a burlap wine wrap
I bought the snacks at Fresh Market and World Market
and there are individual boxed chocolates for dessert~ I didn’t cook a thing!!
You can even off set expenses by asking guests to each bring a bottle of wine, and give them a price range and possibly red or white, just so you don’t end up with all the same types of wine.
For more photos and information about using chalk pens, click here
I wish I could pour you a taste! What is your favorite wine and why? Please leave a comment and tell me, I am always on the lookout for great affordable wines!
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I will be sharing with these fabulous parties and blogs:
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Jenna, I’m always up for a wine tasting *hiccup* 🙂 I love the idea of freezer paper/mats for notes and those mini bread boards! I haven’t seen those cute Pepperoni Paninos before, I need to make a trip to the Fresh Market. I did order some markers after I saw your chalkboard fun to play with on my potting shed door. We’ve been sipping on Sterling VC Meritage that’s easy to drink, I pick it up from World Market it’s affordable, around $12 to $14 a bottle. I’m also still sipping on my favorite summer rosé wine, Coppola Sofia, my husband gives me all kinds of grief for drinking ‘pink’ wine. It’s a great picnic wine and food friendly.
Thanks Mary, I will look for your favorite wines to try! Tell your husband that rose` is “the new black” in the wine world!
Jenna
Looks like a fun party Jenna! Lovin’ your new handcrafted Bama Bowl, what a great gift! I can’t help much with wine… but I do lean towards red or rose when I have a glass. I can say I’d love one of those pepperoni roll-ups though:@)
So much fun Jenna! Love the use of the corks as napkin rings and other wine glasses for snack bowls! I think the only thing I would add is to have a pitcher of water for guests to cleanse their palate between tastes. 🙂
Kenley
You’re right of course, I thought of that after I had already written the post! Thanks Kenley
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WOW!!!! I would enjoy your party. How special the guests must have felt. So many darling ideas for a festive gathering.
Love your leopard painted balloon glasses used as containers for snacks.
Jenna, this is a super post.
Thanks so much Bonnie!
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This looks like so much “fun.” I’ve been to wine tastings/parties and I always found them rather boring because they were too formal for my taste. :-). However I love this, very relaxed! My husband is the wine connoisseur, And will try any wine. We are now trying wines from south Africa by Mulderbosh vineyards (A little taken back, when we had to screw off the cap). The first was Cabernet Sauvignon rose, very light fruity body. It would make a nice lite luncheon wine. (but not for me). The second, Sauvignon blanc, haven’t cracked open yet but they recommend serving with seafood, asparagus, artichokes, paella (which we love), so we will see on that one. I love Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir. Which I see. But now, I am anxious to do a “fun” tasting as yours. Thanks for the insight.
Thanks Linda! Don’t be surprised if you see more and more screw caps, the wine industry is experimenting with new and better ways for sealing their bottles. With the gaining popularity of unoaked Chards and other new wines, the screw caps are becoming quite popular and accepted. I love Sauvignon Blanc, and I will look for the South African Mulderbosh wines to try, thank you! I hope you plan a wine night soon, it’s lots of fun~
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Hey, I want to come! I just know a wine tasting at your house would be lots of fun, and I’m always up for that. A Fresh Market just opened very near me, and I’m loving it!
wow, everything about this party is fabulous! I love the chalkboard, the brown bags with numbered labels, the freezer paper idea, the little nibbles. Your guests must have had a wonderful time.
Jenna, this looks like it was so much fun. You thought of every wonderful detail and carried it out to perfection. I’m going to have to remember all of these little hints. Pinning a pic, so I can get back to this post. laurie
I love all these ideas! The place mat serving as a notes section is so smart, especially when testing many different wines. I also love the chalkboard numbered signs for the wine bottles. So much fun!
Looks like a fun party! Some rest ideas!
Thank you!
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Great ideas and looks like a load of fun. Thanks for sharing.
I love the way you set this up with paper for taking notes and the individual cheese boards. So fun and festive.
Thanks so much!
Thanks Jelli!
Your decorations are smashing, and all the food is just one big fat YUM! Is everything still set up? Or, am I too late to pop over for a little snicky snacky? Nothing is more comforting than cheese and chocolate!
Oh I love a wine tasting party. All of your food looks wonderful too. Nice to have a pad for notes. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
I’ve always wanted to do this! Some great ideas.
– The Tablescaper
Jenna, this is all so nice! I love your staging ideas, and the food pairings! I loved this so much I shared it on Google+ a couple of days ago. 🙂 Lovely.
Thanks so much Joy!