The short answer
For a wine tasting at home, four to six wines, one glass per guest, water, bread and a fixed order are enough: light before full-bodied, dry before sweet, young before old. Plan a small sip per sample instead of a full glass and give everyone the same questions to note. The same pattern works for a beer, gin or whisky tasting.
Choosing a theme for the evening
A wine tasting becomes more interesting when the wines have something in common. You can taste one grape variety from different countries, such as Riesling from the Palatinate, Alsace and Austria. Or one region with different varieties. Or the same wine from several vintages, which is called a vertical.
With beer the same works with styles, such as three pilsners and three IPAs, or with a region. With whisky, regions work well, or the question of what a sherry cask changes compared with a bourbon cask.
How many samples and what amounts
More than six samples overwhelm most noses, especially with strong drinks. Better plan small sips and leave time in between. The table gives guide values for one sample per person.
| Drink | Samples per evening | Amount per sample | One bottle is enough for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | 4 to 6 | about 5 cl | 0.75 l for about 15 samples |
| Beer | 4 to 6 | about 10 cl | 0.33 l for about 3 samples |
| Whisky | 3 to 5 | about 2 cl | 0.7 l for about 35 samples |
| Gin neat | 3 to 5 | about 2 cl, then with tonic | 0.7 l for about 35 samples |
The right order
The order decides whether the last sample still stands a chance. With wine you start with sparkling wine, move from light to full-bodied whites, then rosé, then from light to full-bodied reds. Sweet wines come last, because sweetness makes everything after it seem sour and thin.
With beer: pale and light before dark and strong, low bitterness before high bitterness. Sour beers and smoked beers come at the end. With whisky you go from mild to smoky and from lower to higher strength.
- Sparkling wine and light white wines
- Full-bodied white wines and rosé
- Light red wines
- Full-bodied red wines
- Sweet and noble sweet wines
Temperature, glasses, water and bread
White wine tastes best at about 8 to 12 degrees Celsius, red wine at 14 to 18 degrees. Too cold swallows aromas, too warm makes the alcohol loud. Beer should not be ice cold but, depending on the style, between 6 and 12 degrees.
One good glass per person is enough if you rinse it with a little water in between. Still water and neutral white bread belong on the table. A spittoon is not rude but sensible with many samples.
Taking notes: with a rating sheet or an app
Give all guests the same questions. The easiest is a rating sheet with five fields: appearance, nose, palate, finish and verdict. Everyone notes their own impression first, then you compare.
If you like, enter the impressions into a tasting app afterwards. Then you still know a year later which wine won that evening and why.
Tasting blind
A blind tasting makes any evening more exciting. Wrap the bottles in paper or put them in bags and number them. Then only what is in the glass counts, not the label or the price.
Reveal the bottles only once everyone has taken notes. Sometimes the cheapest wine ends up in front.
Snacks: what works and what gets in the way
Neutral bread helps between samples. Cheese, cold cuts and nuts are popular but change the taste: fat and salt make red wine seem softer, sweet things make dry wines taste sour. So it is best to serve food after the actual tasting.
Heavily spiced, hot or very garlicky dishes do not belong in a tasting, because they numb the palate for a while.
Enjoying responsibly
Even small sips add up. Provide plenty of water, offer an alcohol-free alternative and settle beforehand how everyone gets home. A tasting is an evening for tasting, not for a drinking contest.
Inviting guests with Gustofolio
Under Meet & Taste you create a meetup in Gustofolio: with title, date, drinks and place. A private meetup can only be seen with the invitation link you send to your guests. Whoever accepts sees the exact address and the group chat.
After the evening, everyone rates the samples in their own collection. That way Gustofolio also learns from your tasting what you like.
