Wine Tasting with a Twist Back to Event Details
Can you tell when a wine is lemony or has a cherry-like aroma? To test your wine wisdom, gather friends to compare the aromas and flavors of wines to those in foods. Your guests will be entertained, and you’ll learn a valuable lesson about wine tasting in the process.
Here’s how it’s done: Set out four or five small glasses, each holding a sample of food that’s used to describe wines (see Wine Tasting Companion Foods, below). Then pour wine into another glass and ask your guests to compare the aroma and flavors wafting from their wine to the sample foods.
When deciding what wines to serve for a tasting, focus on a specific growing region or varietal and buy several bottles from different vintners. Have several glasses on hand for each guest to use. To help guests better discuss each wine, have flavor information and notes from the winemaker available. Check out the Publix Aromas and Flavors glossary before the party to find helpful information.
Focus on aromas first; they’re easier to identify. (Be sure to put away scented candles—they interfere with the ability to smell the wine.) Once you and your guests have successfully described the aromas of the wine, move on to flavors. They should be more obvious once you know what you’re tasting for.
By the end of the party, you and your guests should have enhanced your ability to name the flavors in each glass of wine. This knowledge can boost your wine appreciation and aid your purchase decisions—you’ll know to buy wines with flavor descriptions that suit your tastes.
Must be at least 21 years of age to purchase wine.
Wine Tasting Companion Foods
WHEN SERVING CHARDONNAY
| • Pear slices |
• Grapefruit |
| • Pineapple |
• Green apple slices |
| • Shortbread cookies |
• Buttered popcorn |
| • Peaches (canned or fresh) |
|
WHEN SERVING SAUVIGNON BLANC
| • Lime peel |
• Banana slices |
| • Cantaloupe slices |
• Pineapple slices |
| • Apricots (canned or fresh) |
• Pear slices |
| • Peaches (canned or fresh) |
• Green sweet pepper |
WHEN SERVING ZINFANDEL
| • Black Pepper |
• Walnuts |
| • Raspberries |
• Fig bars |
| • Strawberry jam |
• Cocoa powder |
WHEN SERVING MERLOT
| • Cherries or cherry jam |
• Cloves |
| • Prunes |
• Licorice |
| • Fruitcake |
• Coffee |
| • Toasted hazelnuts |
• Cinnamon |
WHEN SERVING CABERNET SAUVIGNON
| • Black currants |
• Ginger |
| • Black cherries |
• Bell peppers |
| • Blackberries |
• Pimentos |
A good rule of thumb for estimating how much wine to buy is about one-half bottle (total) for each guest. At a tasting party, encourage guests to try smaller sips of different wines for comparison, but don't over-purchase for the sake of variety. Always remember to drink—and serve—responsibly.
