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: