A chill-out meeting with friends is always a reason for joy, whether it’s a mountain getaway, a barbecue, or (in a few weeks/months) a beach day. But sometimes, it’s easier to organize an evening of conversation over a glass of wine, with some cheeses and a few pieces of meat on a platter, right? That’s why we’ve put together a quick guide on what you need to organize a small wine tasting at home. After the tasting… Everyone can enjoy the wine they liked the most in their own glass.
Step 0:
We’ll call this “Step 0” because before any tasting, you need a few essential things if you want to host a wine tasting. And not just a table and chairs—although those are important too, a short tasting can also be done standing; otherwise, we wouldn’t have wine festivals, right?
Basic Equipment:
- Corkscrew – its spiral should be round, not sharp, ideally with a small groove in the middle of the spiral.
- Wine glasses – at least one per person, ideally one glass for each wine. Use real wine glasses, which are accessible, not cheap “tulip” glasses or thick-rimmed, heavy glass cups.
- A spittoon/disposal vessel – this can be any large container, either one for all participants or smaller vessels for every two people.
- Good lighting and a white background – a sheet of paper, white walls, a table, or white tablecloths to appreciate the wine’s color.
- Optional: Decanter(s) (for red wines older than five years, though many prefer to see them evolve in the glass), pen and paper for those who want to take notes on the wines or tasting impressions.
- Water and water glasses, neutral snacks – mild cheeses without intense flavors, apple slices, grapes (if they’re not too sweet), bread or breadsticks, coffee (without sugar).
- No room fragrances, scented candles, barbecue smoke from outside, or kitchen smells!
Step 1: How Many People?
For a standard tasting, a bottle of wine is shared among a maximum of 10 people. Professionals can assess a wine from a 30-50 ml serving, but that doesn’t mean they can truly enjoy its taste. A 75 ml share per person is a good amount – enough to finish if you like the wine, or to taste and understand it (to some extent) before discarding the rest in the spittoon (a bucket, large beer mug, or any suitable vessel).
If you’d like to have some wine left for socializing after the tasting, reduce the number of people to 5-7. For more than 10 people, you’ll need at least two bottles of each wine (typically, it’s good to have an extra bottle of each label in case of corked wines).
Be mindful of the number of people relative to the room size – in a standard 20-square-meter room, having more than 10 people can make it suddenly very warm, which won’t help the wine express itself properly.
Step 2: How Many Wines and Which Types?
The number of wines should be determined based on the participants’ experience and the chosen theme. Generally, 4-6 wines are more than enough for beginners. If your group is familiar with wine, 6-10 samples are not excessive.
Choosing a theme can be a challenge. Here are a few ideas to start with, but your imagination is the only limit:
- Portfolio tasting from a single producer – you can choose either top wines or a selection from different price ranges.
- Tasting representative wines from a region – blends or emblematic grape varieties that capture the region’s essence while comparing producers (e.g., Burgundy Pinot Noirs or Dealu Mare blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Fetească Neagră).
- Tasting wines from different wine regions of a country – select representative wines from each region and arrange them according to tasting rules (explained below).
- Vertical tasting – different vintages of the same wine (e.g., Prince Matei).
- Horizontal tasting – wines of the same grape variety and vintage from different producers or regions (e.g., 2022 Fetească Neagră from Oltenia or 2024 Fetească Albă from Dobrogea, Moldova, Transylvania, Oltenia, etc.).
- Sparkling wine tasting – based on style, origin, or production method.
- Varietal tasting – the same grape in different styles and vintages. You can even take a red grape variety and see how it appears as a white, rosé, red, white sparkling, or rosé sparkling wine (Jidvei offers such options). Or you can taste top-tier Fetească Neagră wines from 2006 to 2023 across different regions.
Step 3: Tasting Order
Taste white before rosé, then red,
- Taste white before rosé, then red,
- Move from lower alcohol to higher alcohol,
- From lighter-bodied to more full-bodied,
- From dry to sweet (very important! A sweet white should be tasted after reds or at the end of the white wines, but always followed by a break!).
- From neutral to aromatic wines.
However, things can get tricky. For example, where do you place a 10-year-old barrel-aged Chardonnay with 13% alcohol if your tasting also includes a fresh, highly aromatic Romanian Tămâioasă with 11.5% alcohol? Usually, the Chardonnay goes before the Tămâioasă so its aromas aren’t overpowered.
To avoid confusion, plan your tasting sequence before buying the wines. A simple and well-balanced tasting could follow this order:
Sparkling wine – Neutral/semi-aromatic white wine – Aromatic white wine – Rosé wine – Young red wine – Aged red wine – Sweet wine (usually white)
Step 4: Enjoy!
From here on, it’s every person for themselves, but all together! Don’t drink more than you can handle, listen to the expert (if you have one), and if you are the expert, don’t bore people with unnecessary details—unless they ask!
Look at the wine, smell it, taste it, swirl it around your mouth, spit (or not), repeat, and swallow.
After a wine tasting, most people feel energized – except the host, who is likely exhausted from organizing everything! You can continue the evening, but be mindful of the host’s well-being.
Wine is not only a socializing tool but also an opportunity to learn. Research the wines you tasted, the producers, the region, and its history. Share your knowledge, and don’t forget to recommend the great wines you discovered to your friends!
