How to host a wine tasting with friends

How to Host a Wine Tasting with Friends

To really get your head around the different styles of wine, it's a good idea to taste them side by side – and I think the very best way to do this is by hosting a wine tasting with friends and loved ones!

Wines Featured

Tesco Finest Prosecco Doc, £8.50

Made from the Glera grape in the Veneto region of Italy.

Tesco Finest Premier Cru Brut Champagne, £21

Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in the Champagne region of France.

Tesco Finest Chablis Premier Cru, £17

Made from the Chardonnay grape in Premier Cru Chablis vineyards in northern Burgundy, France.

Tesco Finest Brooks Road Chardonnay, £15

Made from the Chardonnay grape in the Margaret River region of Australia.

Tesco Finest Margaux 2016, £22

Made from the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes in the Bordeaux region of France.

Tesco Finest Marlborough Pinot Noir, £9

Made from the Pinot Noir grape in the Marlborough region of New Zealand.

Tesco Finest Dessert Semillon, £6.25

Made from the Sémillon grape in Australia.

Tips for Hosting Your Own Wine Tasting

• Plan the right combination of different wines – this lesson should give you some suggestions as to what you can taste and compare.
• Make sure you have enough glasses – ideally, each person should have a couple of wine glasses in order to taste the wines side by side.
• Lighten the load of hosting by asking each person to bring a bottle or two with them.
• Snacks are, in my opinion, essential – and with your new-found knowledge, you can even have a go at a little flavour pairing.
• Provide a pen and some paper for each guest so they can jot down any notes on what they're tasting.
• Encourage everyone to 'sniff, sip and slurp' – this helps to activate all of your tastebuds.

Tasting Prosecco Alongside a Champagne

• Prosecco is fermented for a second time in the tank, whereas Champagne is fermented for a second time in the bottle.
• Prosecco is quite light and delicate with lemony flavours. Champagne has much bigger and richer flavours.

Tasting Two Different Chardonnays

• Cooler climates such as the Chablis region in Northern France allow for fresher tastes to be extracted from the Chardonnay grape with its elegant, crisp and understated flavours of fresh apples.
• The climate in Australia is hotter than in other climes, but this grape has been planted in one of the cooler spots. You'll be able to detect more oakiness and a rounder taste, and the fruit flavours may be more pronounced.

Tasting Two Contrasting Reds

• The Pinot Noir grape has a thinner skin, so will be noticeably lighter in colour. This translates to the flavour too, with lighter notes of redcurrant.
• A Cabernet Merlot blend will offer much bigger and heavier flavours of black fruits with more tannin and oakiness.

Tasting a Sweet Dessert Wine

• A deeper colour tells you that the grapes are 'late picked' and have been left on the vine to ripen for longer to build up more natural sugars. This makes for a honeyed taste with notes of orange.

Your Assignment

Get a date in the diary for your very own wine tasting with friends. Take time to plan the bottles so that you have some strong comparisons and unique flavours to try.