Wine tasting is a perfect evening event to enjoy with friends but going all the way to a vineyard can seem like a lot of hassle. Fortunately, with the number of sparkling wines and Champagnes filling our supermarket shelves, you can take the classic wine tasting event out of the vineyard and into your home.

But how do you host a sparkling wine tasting? Even more importantly, how do you make sure it’s good? Well, we’re here to answer those questions with this short guide covering the most important things to think about when organising an evening of great wine and great people.

Theme

First things first, your wine tasting needs a theme. There’s no good piling together all of the sparkling wines you can think of and comparing them over the course of the night – they’re too different. Instead, pick a single, focused theme to base your event on. If you’re interested in Prosecco, make sure that every wine at your event is Prosecco. Similarly, if you love Champagne, every wine should be Champagne. If your wine selections aren’t similar then you will find that they heavily clash during the tasting process, muddying the water and making it unclear which is actually the best.

Variety

Whilst we have just spoken about creating a theme, that doesn’t mean you can’t add some kind of variety to the wine you’re tasting. For example, in the case of Prosecco, there are currently heated negotiations between Australian and Italian winemakers over what can be labelled as ‘Prosecco’. This is because Prosecco has always been officially made in a specific region of Italy, but Australian winemakers are selling wine called Prosecco using the same grapes and techniques. This argument has some major financial repercussions, but for a wine tasting experience, it’s perfect. Try comparing Australian and Italian Prosecco’s; that will add a great theme and variety to your event.

Storage

Now that you’ve picked out a theme and variety of wines, you need somewhere to keep them all. It depends on how many people you’ve decided to invite to your event, but you’ll probably be storing a fairly large number of wine bottles to fulfil everyone’s wine discovery desires. This is when wall mounted wine racks come into their own. They’re a cheap and easy solution, keeping all your wines easily accessible without crowding the table or worse – falling and breaking. Be sure to have appropriate storage before you start your event.

Glassware

As all seasoned wine tasters will tell you, the glass that you’re drinking from has a huge impact on the taste and overall experience. The same applies when you’re dealing with sparkling wines and Champagne. There are a variety of different glass styles, each with their own highlights and wine amplifying traits – it’s important that you pick the appropriate glassware for the wine you will be tasting.

Champagne and sparkling wine glasses come in three main shapes: flutes, tulips and coupes. Flutes are tall, thin and modern. Their elegance is incredibly stylish, and they are great for showing off the bubbles in any sparkling wine. Tulips have a wider bowl, enabling more aromas to collect in the glass and coupes are the classic vintage design, adding a little something special to your event.

Take a note of your budget and do some research into the glassware most appropriate.

With these tips in mind, you shouldn’t have a problem putting together a refined and incredible sparkling wine tasting event that attendees will never forget. Remember, the key is to plan and research. Plan a theme, a wine list and appropriate storage, then research what the best glassware will be for your event and budget.

Enjoy your evening!