Planning a wine tasting event can be an incredibly enjoyable and enlightening experience. Not only does it provide an opportunity to sample a variety of wines, but it also offers a fun and social way to learn about the complexities of different types of wine. With the right planning, your wine tasting event can be both educational and entertaining.

Themes:

There are several themes you could consider for your wine tasting event. A popular choice is blind tastings where guests taste wines without knowing what they are drinking. This encourages participants to rely on their senses rather than preconceived notions about certain types or brands of wine.

Another exciting theme is exploring wines from specific regions or countries, such as Spanish wines. This gives attendees the chance to appreciate the unique characteristics that geographical factors impart on wines, including climate, soil type, and grape varietals native to that region.

A vertical tasting involves sampling different vintages (years) from one producer or vineyard. This allows tasters to understand how weather conditions in particular years affect the flavor profile of the same type of wine.

Check list:

Regardless of your chosen theme, there are several essentials needed for any successful wine tasting event:

1. Glasses: Ensure you have enough glasses for each guest - ideally one per type of wine being tasted.

2. Spit Buckets: While some may choose to swallow their samples, others may prefer not too &ndash; especially if many wines are being tasted.

3. Palate Cleansers: Provide neutral-flavored foods like bread or crackers which help cleanse palates between different types of wines.

4. Wine Information: Share basic information about each sampled bottle - this could include its origin, grape variety used and ideal serving temperature.

5. Ideal Group Size: Keep group sizes manageable; 6-12 people is usually ideal so everyone has a chance to share their thoughts.

6. Note Pads &amp; Pens: These will allow guests jot down notes on each sample&rsquo;s aroma, taste etc. to compare and discuss later.

7. Food: Remember to provide enough food not just for palate cleansing but also to ensure guests aren&rsquo;t drinking on an empty stomach.

During the event, encourage your guests to share their thoughts on each wine - its smell, taste, texture and aftertaste. This will stimulate discussion and help everyone learn more about what they like or dislike in a wine.

Gotcha&rsquo;s:

However, there are common mistakes that can be made when planning a wine tasting event. One of these is offering too much wine without providing sufficient food. Not only does this risk intoxication among your guests but it can also dull their palates making them less able to discern between different wines.

Another mistake is rushing through the tastings. Allow plenty of time for each sample so attendees can fully appreciate and discuss each one before moving onto the next.

Have fun and explore:

Above all else, remember that a wine tasting should be fun! Encourage participants to try new things &ndash; perhaps varietals or regions they&rsquo;ve never tried before &ndash; and learn from each other&rsquo;s experiences and opinions. After all, while there&#39;s certainly science involved in winemaking (and tasting), much of it comes down personal preference which makes every individual&#39;s input valuable.

So whether you&#39;re a seasoned oenophile or new to the world of wines, hosting a wine tasting event provides an excellent opportunity for socializing while expanding your knowledge and appreciation of this age-old beverage.

Planning a wine tasting event can be an incredibly enjoyable and enlightening experience. Not only does it provide an opportunity to sample a variety of wines, but it also offers a fun and social way to learn about the complexities of different types of wine. With the right planning, your wine tasting event can be both educational and entertaining.

Easy to plan wine tasting parties! Super fun and great way to explore new wines and learn!

The world of sparkling wine is a vast one. While champagne has long been the reigning king, there's another contender that’s not only equally delicious but also offers great value for money - Cremant.

Cremant vs Champagne: The real deal for bubbles.

Omakase is experiencing a surge in popularity, let’s dig into what it is and of course what wines to drink.



 Omakase, a term that translates to "I'll leave it up to you" in Japanese, is rapidly gaining popularity in the culinary world. This dining experience places your meal entirely in the hands of the chef, who meticulously crafts each course based on seasonal ingredients and their personal creative flair. It's not just about seafood; while sushi often features prominently due to its status as a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, an omakase menu can include anything from Wagyu beef to seasonal vegetables.

Omakase and Wine Pairing: A Booming Gastronomic Journey

California Chardonnay: it's a name synonymous with sunshine, buttery richness, and maybe even a splash of white wine envy (looking at you, Bridget Jones). But how did this grape, originally hailing from France, become a Californian icon? Buckle up, because we're diving into the world of CA Chard, from its unexpected origins to the reasons it continues to reign supreme on wine lists.

Buckle up, because we're diving into the world of CA Chard!

Forget everything you think you know about sweet, syrupy wines. Lambrusco is a sparkling red wine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region that’s as light and bubbly as a summer day.

Lambrusco: The Party in a Bottle You Need to Try under $25

As the days grow longer and warmer, it's time to trade in your full-bodied reds and crisp whites for a glass of refreshing rosé. This versatile wine is not only perfect for spring but also pairs beautifully with a wide variety of foods all year round.



Rosé originates from France, specifically Provence - the world’s leading rosé region. It has been produced there since 600 BC when Greeks brought vines to southern France. Unlike its red and white counterparts, rosés are made using an array of grape varietals including Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault among others.

Spring into Rosé: The Perfect Wine for Warmer Weather

We are interested in understanding your dining and wine consumption habits to gain valuable insights into the wine and restaurant industry.

State of Wine and Restaurant Survey 2024

Aligoté: Burgundy's Unsung Hero Steps Out of the Shadows

For Chardonnay lovers seeking a refreshing, value-driven alternative, Aligoté, Burgundy's "other" white grape, beckons with its crisp acidity, subtle minerality, and undeniable charm. Often overshadowed by its more illustrious neighbor, Aligoté is finally gaining recognition for its unique qualities and exceptional quality-to-price ratio.

Aligoté: Burgundy's Unsung Hero Steps Out of the Shadows

A Hungarian Legacy: Imagine yourself in Tokaj, Hungary, a region steeped in winemaking tradition. For centuries, Furmint has thrived in its volcanic soil, basking in the warm sunshine. These grapes, loved for their thick skin and high acidity, became the cornerstone of Hungary's most famous wine: Tokaji. These sweet, honeyed treasures were once enjoyed by royalty and popes!

Furmint: Hungary's Hidden Gem for Wine Lovers

Check out these four whites wines under $24, from some great producers across various terroirs – France, Italy, Spain. Spring is in the air.

Four must try white wines for under $24 from France, Spain, and Italy

Maison

Alexis Rogers

Maison Premiere

Maison Premiere #8

Music Intro:

RT: Hello and Welcome to Corkrules!

&nbsp;I&rsquo;m your host Robert Tas along with Alexis Rogers, Wine Educator and&nbsp; Restaurant Sommelier

Hello Alexis, glad you&#39;re with us on another episode of CorkRules, - a podcast where we help simplify and demystify the wine lists at some of your favorite restaurants. We talk with certified sommeliers who point out interesting bottles, classic food and wine pairings, hidden gems,&nbsp; value wines, or splurge wines that will take your dining experience over the top.

AR: Glad to be here, Robert! Thanks!

RT:&nbsp; Today we are discussing Maison Premiere. This gorgeous Williamsburg bar and restaurant has a distinctly Old World feel and is known worldwide for their incredible drinks, even winning a James Beard award for Outstanding Bar Program. Tell us about what you found, Alexis.

AR: As Sommeliers, we are trained in the finer points of not just wine, but spirits as well. And while the wine list here is stellar, these cocktails are not to be missed so let&rsquo;s start there!

RT: I&rsquo;ve heard they have the largest selection of absinthe in the country!

AR: That&rsquo;s right! And their own custom-built absinthe drip modeled after the famous Absinthe fountain in the notorious Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. The decor is even &ldquo;Absinthe-esque&rdquo;, a beautiful example of Belle Epoque design from The Turn of The Century - the heyday of this fascinating spirit. You can order a glass of it, expertly and classically prepared with cold water and a sugar cube or you can enjoy it in a range of inventive cocktails on the list. Personally, I&rsquo;m dying to try the Absinthe Colada!

There&rsquo;s also a subsection on the cocktail menu just for Juleps! I&rsquo;m thrilled and intrigued by the Barber of Seville, a rye-based Julep featuring ManzaNULLla sherry. ManzaNULLla is almost identical to Fino sherry - that is, it&rsquo;s a fortified wine from Spain made from the Palomino grape and aged biologically under a layer of yeast called &ldquo;flor&rdquo;. The only difference is that ManzaNULLla must be made and aged in Sanlucar de Barrameda, a town a bit closer to the sea. That extra saline tang will take this drink to a whole other level of complexity.

RT: I love when a talented cocktailer can incorporate sherry into a drink.

AR:I think it&rsquo;s really the most fascinating beverage. You can find highly technical scientific studies in journals of analytical chemistry that have identified over 500 individual aromatic compounds in Fino sherry. I don&#39;t even know if I actually ENJOY the taste of sherry but I LOVE drinking it and I&rsquo;m absolutely fascinated by it.

RT: Every sommelier, it seems, has one type of wine that they just absolutely geek out about. It sounds like sherry is yours.

AR: Totally! That and Champagne! Speaking of Champagne&hellip;

There are few things better together than caviar and Champagne and I can&rsquo;t imagine anything more picturesque than enjoying both of them on the insanely charming garden patio @ Maison. These two are a classic pairing - and a classic indulgence - for a reason! Champagne&rsquo;s beautiful, fresh, naturally high acidity slices through the fattiness, oiliness and general richness of the caviar while the saltiness of the caviar increases the tongue&rsquo;s perception of the Champagne&rsquo;s fruit. Maison&rsquo;s Champagne section is organized by subregion and features a surprisingly affordable selection of great bottles of bubbly! With over 25 awesome bottles that won&#39;t break the bank, you could really close your eyes and point and you&rsquo;d receive something wonderful. Personally, being the Champagne fanatic I am, I went specifically to the Cotes des Blancs subregional heading and the bottle of Pascal Doquet &ldquo;Arpege&rdquo; Blanc de Blancs. The Cotes des Blancs has a reputation for high-quality bottlings grown on chalky soils that produce electric, minerally, Chardonnay-based wines. The term Blanc de Blanc indicates that it&rsquo;s made from exclusively white grapes. Nothing could be more romantic than this incredible bottle and Maison&rsquo;s famous caviar service on a balmy summer night.

RT: That sounds like a great date idea, whether it&rsquo;s a 3rd date or a 30th wedding anniversary.

So Alexis, looking at the by-the-glass list, I see that each glass is marked either organic or biodynamic based on the principles of Rudolph Steiner. What&rsquo;s that about?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

AR: Oh man! Good ol&rsquo; Rudolph! Steiner was a philosopher, agriculturist, architect and social reformer that is credited with - among other WIDELY varied concepts - the creation of the biodynamic approach to agriculture in the early 1900s. The essential tenets of this approach center around viewing a farm or a vineyard as a single self-sustaining organism that thrives through biodiversity and can sometimes incorporate cosmic and lunar influences, especially as they are related to harvest and planting cycles. It&rsquo;s holistic, ethical and ecologically minded. Rudolf was the first to suggest that synthetic fertilizers and herbicides would devalue the health of livestock and crops. And surprise, surprise - he was Austrian!

RT: Sounds like an interesting man! At the very least, we can say these wines have an extreme attention to detail! What&rsquo;s not to be missed from that by-the-glass list?

AR: My pick is the 2019 Ludvic Chanson from the subregion of Montlouis-sur-Loire, just across the river from Vouvray in the Loire Valley in France. I like how much information this part of the list provides. All the usual stuff is there (producer, region, vintage) but they go the extra mile by indicating the grape (here, it&rsquo;s Chenin Blanc) and even a few very simple tasting notes. I do feel like they under-described this wine a bit by saying just &ldquo;lemon peel and slate&rdquo; but it serves to give a general idea of the profile. I would add to that honey, chamomile, fresh straw and autumn apples. As enticing as those flavors and aromas sound, it&rsquo;s really the structure of this wine that makes it fascinating - and food-friendly. It&rsquo;s sky-high acidity is often described using terms like &ldquo;vervy, electric, and laser-like&rdquo;. Pair this with an order of the Steamed MaNULLa Clams with preserved lemon for a citrusy interplay dream!

RT: Wow, I can&#39;t wait to take my wife&nbsp;here on date! Alexis, thank you so much for walking us through both the cocktail and wine list at Maison Premiere. To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like us to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to:

Info@corkrules.com or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the queue as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime,

please check out our website for other episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists wherever you get your podcasts.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

&nbsp;

END

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homepage

CorkRules application allows you to discover wines at your favorite restaurants, learn with friends and be confident with price transparency. Order wine with confidence at restaurants and retailers. Get personalized recommendations. #DrinkWhatYouLove

XIX Nineteen

Canvas

Blanc de Blancs Brut NV

Veneto, Italy

Bonaval

Cava Brut NV

Blend

Spain

Les Carrelets

Bordeaux Rouge NV

Blend

Bordeaux, France

Fleur

Chardonnay NV

Chardonnay

North Coast, California, USA

Elk Cove

Pinot Gris NV

Pinot Gris

Oregon, USA

Domaine Vallot

Le Coriancon Cotes du Rhone France NV

France

Willamette Valley Vineyards

Pinot Gris NV

Pinot Gris

Willamette Valley, USA

Giulia

La Tunella Cabernet Sauvignon, Friuli-Venezia NV

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

Morgadío

Albarino NV

Albarino

Rias Baixas, Spain

Jean de Villaret

Cremant de Loire Rose NV

Cabernet Franc

France

San Giorgio

Pinot Grigio NV

Blend

Italy

St. Michael-Eppan

Pinot Grigio NV

Pinot Gris

Italy

Codorníu

Cuvee Barcelona 1872 Brut Cava NV

Blend

Cava, Spain

Avinyó

Cava Reserva Brut NV

Parellada

Cava, Spain

Stratton Lummis

The Riddler NV

Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa Valley, USA