Wine can sometimes feel intimidating, like you need a degree or a fancy vocabulary to enjoy it. But hosting your own wine tasting at home can be one of the most fun, relaxed ways to spend an evening with friends.
Here to help us organize a tasting is author of 3 national bestsellers on wine, Natalie MacLean!
You know, Mary, I always say a wine tasting is a book club for people who didn’t read the book. You get all the great conversation and laughs, but the only homework is drinking wine!
You say hosting your own wine tasting from home is a three-bottle formula. why three wines?
Three is the magic number because it gives you enough variety to compare and contrast without overwhelming your guests or your palate. The secret is to choose a white, a rosé and a red.
This takes you on a taste journey from light and refreshing to rich and robust. It also mirrors how we typically drink at a dinner party: white with appetizers, rosé with a starter and red with heartier fare. It’s wine tasting like a three-act play, except everyone is still awake for the finale.
Can you walk us through the basics of wine tasting? what’s up first?
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
Absolutely, the Five S’s make tasting wine easy-peasy. Let’s do it together with our white wine, this crisp, refreshing Sauvignon Blanc from Oyster Bay, named the World’s Best Sauvignon Blanc in a prestigious competition. That’s like winning the refreshment Olympics.
Step #1 SEE: Now you often notice people holding their wine glasses up to the light in a restaurant. Looks very sophisticated … Yeah, don’t do that 😉 It only tells you how many colours the wine can reflect from the wallpaper.
Instead, hold your glass against something white, like a napkin, and look at the colour. The deeper the colour for white wines, the more full-bodied, oaky or older the wine is. There’s no oak on this one and its light colour suggests it’s young and zesty, which already gives us a clue before we taste it.
Step #2 SWIRL: This releases the wine’s aromas. The training wheels version is to do it on the table until you’re confident to do it in the air without sloshing it on your shirt. That’s why we start with a white wine, Mary, and wear dark shirts ;)
Step #3 SNIFF: Don’t be shy, get your beak right in there! Now, most people say, hey it just smells like wine to me. It’s subjective but it gets better over time.
One of my online course students described an oaky Chardonnay as smelling like her son’s gerbil case. Can you guess why? … It was the wood chips in the cage. There are no wrong answers because it’s based on your own experience! If it smells like the inside of your first car, that’s also valid. Concerning, but valid.
I’m getting notes of lime and grapefruit. What do you get Mary? If you’re ever in doubt, just look thoughtful and nod like you’re still debating between sun-dappled orchards and freshly cut guava.
Fun fact: our sense of smell is actually 10,000 times more sensitive than our sense of taste, which is why sommeliers spend so much time nosing their wines before they ever take a sip!
Step #4 SIP: Let the wine coat your tongue and roll around to taste its flavours and feel its weight. Can you feel that acidity coming down both sides of your mouth like two little gushers? That’s literally whetting your palate for food.
Step #5 SAVOUR: This is where after you swallow, you breathe out through your nose and notice how long you’re still selling the aromas. Like most sensual pleasures in life, longer is better! This wine has a lovely crisp finish that leaves me longing for more.
What have you paired with this zippy white?
We’ll keep the appetizers simple for two reasons: this is meant to be fun and easy – and simpler food flavours, like these lemon goat cheese crackers with a tiny bit of lemon zest on top, won’t overwhelm your wine. I suggest you take a sip of your wine first, then a bite of the cracker and then go back to the wine. How has it changed?
The wine’s herbal notes high-five the herbs in the cheese, while the acidity cuts right through the creaminess. The wine’s acidity seems to have softened from the fat in the cheese.
Perfect! Let’s try this with the other two wines. Tell us about the rosé.
Palatine Hills Oh Goody! Rosé
Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada
I love the name of this rosé Oh Goody! That’s exactly how I feel when I’m drinking it. It’s from a boutique Niagara winery, Palantine Hills Estates Winery, known for their premium, small-batch wines. Go Canada!
Step 1, let’s take a look. In the glass, it’s a beautiful vibrant pink, the colour of optimism.
Step 2 and 3, swirl and sniff: I smell strawberry fields forever! Patriotism never tasted this good! What do you get Mary?
Here’s a pro tip: hold your wine glass by the stem, not the bowl. This prevents your hand from warming the wine and keeps fingerprints off the glass though no need to have your pinky in the air – that’s just snobby ;)
Step 4, sip: Definitely, more fresh berries.
Step 5 (savour), Rosé is meant to be an in-the-moment kind of wine, so while the finish isn’t extremely long, the wine is definitely very well made.
What should we pair with this rosé?
You can keep the pink theme going with these lovely smoked salmon blinis. Top tiny buckwheat pancakes with silky cold-smoked salmon, a dollop of cool, tangy creme fraiche, and a whisper of fresh dill. The wine’s racy acidity cuts through the richness of the salmon while its strawberry notes echo the brightness of the creme fraiche.
Now for the grand finale, our red wine!
Casillero del Diablo Devil’s Carnaval Red
Chile
We’re finishing big and bold with the Casillero Del Diablo from Chile. The name translates to “the Devil’s cellar” because the winemaker spread a rumour that the devil lived in his cellar to stop people from stealing his best wine. And I can see now why he needed it – This wine is so popular today that someone on the planet buys a bottle of it every 20 seconds. Crazy good!
Step 1, take a look at those deep red and blackberry hues in the glass.
Step 2 and 3 (swirl and sniff), this wine almost jumps out of the glass to meet your nose with aromas of fleshy ripe plum, blackberries and mocha.
Step 4 (sip), those velvety rich berry flavours really come through.
Step 5 (savour), the finish is looooong and satisfying!
What appetizers complement this bold red?
Try it with some slices of salami or chorizo on a plate. The fat and spice in the meat handle the bold sweetness of the wine perfectly. It’s a match that feels like a party in your mouth – a carnival for your taste buds!
Natalie, these suggestions are fantastic! Any final words of wisdom for our viewers?
Keep it relaxed! You don’t need a tweed jacket to taste wine. You have a mouth and you have an opinion, so you’re already an expert on your own taste.
By the end of the evening, no one remembers the tasting notes. They remember who they were sitting beside and who made them laugh until they snorted. That’s the real finish that matters.
Thank you, Natalie!
