When I read the numbers provided by good friend and excellent researcher, Sean Sullivan, in his Washington Wine Report early last week comparing the Washington wines reviewed by the three major wine publications, I got to thinking that I bet we at Wine Peeps review more Washington wines than any of the three leading subscription publications. Sure enough, when I tallied up the score, we have reviewed 789 Washington State wines from 227 different wineries on Wine Peeps since December 31, 2008, and we’re not yet finished for the year. According to Sean’s numbers, that is slightly higher than the 722 wines from 170+ wineries for Wine Enthusiast, which had much broader Washington State coverage than either Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate.

You may be also interested to note that our scoring is a little tougher, maybe more realistic would be a better choice of words, than any of those three publications. While we are huge believers in the overall quality of Washington wines, I don’t see how any professional reviewer can in good conscience give 90+ point scores to 60% of the wines he reviewed, as did Jay Miller of Wine Advocate. It appears to smack of the same grade inflation we often see in schools today. Of the three leading publications, I believe that Paul Gregutt at Wine Enthusiast was the most realistic in his scoring, at least from looking at the numbers.

Since we at Wine Peeps score on the five-star system rather than the 100-point system, an exact comparison is not possible. However, 226 of the 789 wines we have reviewed garnered four stars or better (28.4%). More importantly, at least to us, is how many of those four-star+ wines also scored four bangs for your buck (out of 5) or more, meaning they have an excellent Quality-to-Price Ratio (QPR).

So far this year, 155 of the 789 Washington wines (19.7%) we have reviewed have a Quality Rating >=4 stars (out of 5) and a QPR >=4 bangs for your buck (out of 5). Those are the kinds of good deal wines I want to buy, and it is this kind of information that we aim to provide our readers each time they visit Wine Peeps.

Next Friday, I will share with you a list of the 70 wineries, out of 227, that produced those 155 wines of excellent quality and high QPR. Those are our “go-to” Washington wineries for 2009. Be sure to stay tuned!

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from the famed Marlborough region of New Zealand.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

Regular readers know that we are big fans of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the country’s flagship wine. And Kim Crawford Wines makes one of our favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. In fact, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc has been Mom’s (LaGayle) favorite wine, period, since we visited New Zealand in 2005. The most amazing thing about Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is its amazing consistency from vintage to vintage. It’s crisp acidity and refreshing grapefruit flavors are especially pleasing to our palates. Their 2006 vintage won one of our monthly wine tasting dinners as well as several private tastings. Their 2007 and this 2008 vintage are also outstanding. I have no doubt that the upcoming 2009 vintage will continue to represent Kim Crawford in outstanding fashion as well.

Don’t be surprised that I am recommending a crisp, white wine during the winter. With the right foods, both red and white wines can be enjoyed year-round. In fact, we drank this 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc last night with our broccoli, cheese, chicken, and rice casserole, and it was fabulous.

“With every wine I make, I aim to let the natural flavour of the grape flow through into the final product. New Zealand grapes benefit from a natural fruitiness. My role as winemaker is to make sure that this succulence and richness is abundantly present in the wine you pour from the bottle.” –Kim Crawford, owner/winemaker

2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand): Extremely aromatic. Beautiful grapefruit on the nose. More grapefruit, lime, and other citrus fruits come through on the palate. Well-balanced with a long finish. Very distinctive and crisp.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Costco (Seattle), $14; Available elsewhere, $12 to $15

Rued Vineyards, located in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, California, is a small production family winery. The Rued family’s grape growing history extends back six generations to a great grandfather who immigrated to the United States from Switzerland to work the vineyards in the Napa Valley. Subsequent generations have tended vineyards as well as planted their own. Founded by Richard and Dee Rued, the winery’s first vintage was 2004. Richard and Dee’s sons are involved in the vineyards and winery as well. Tom works with his father cultivating their estate vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley as well as leased vineyards in the Alexander Valley and the Russian River Valley, while Steve and his wife Sonia serve as winemakers.

We recently had the opportunity to taste Rued’s most recent Zinfandel release and it was excellent. In addition to its high quality, it also delivers the most bang for your buck with a QPR rating of 5. Too often I find Zinfandel, particularly California Zinfandel, to have a high alcohol content which can cause the wine to be off balance and feel hot going down. This wine is well-balanced and smooth, definitely not a throat-burner.

The grapes for the 2006 Rued Zinfandel were sourced from the oldest part of Rued’s Dry Creek Valley estate vineyard which is located in the eastern part of Dry Creek Valley. Their Dry Creek Valley estate vineyard was planted by the Rued family in the 1950’s.

2006 Rued Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, CA): Deep ruby red and very aromatic. Grape syrup aromas lead to black fruit and plum flavors and a hint of spice. Medium to full-bodied and lively, with medium to high tannins and a long finish. Big and bold yet smooth and well-balanced. Not a throat-burner like so many Zins. ABV: 14.9%.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample; Winery, $25

Carmenere, a red varietal originally found in the Bordeaux region of France, disappeared from European vineyards almost completely in the mid-19th century. Today, Carmenere is known as Chile’s signature grape, having been discovered in that country in 1994 among vines that were previously thought to be Merlot. It is a deeply colored red grape that seems to thrive in Chile’s Mediterranean climate with sunny days and dramatically cooler nights. Grown in the right conditions, Carmenere has the ability to produce very fine wines that exhibit the finesse of Merlot and the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. A representative from Wines of Chile referred to Carmenere as “Cab in silk pajamas.”

Last week, we had the pleasure to take part in an online tasting hosted by Wines of Chile. Eight Chilean winemakers convened in Santiago, Chile, to talk about their wines via video conference to wine bloggers across the United States.

The presenting winemakers included:

• Magdalena Sosa, Santa Carolina
• Arnaud Hereu, Odfjell Vineyards
• Grant Phelps, Viu Manent
• Matias Rios, Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery
• Gonzalo Carcamo, Viña La Rosa
• Felipe Tosso, Viña Ventisquero
• Oscar Salas, Terra Andina
• Sebastián Labbé, Viña Carmen

This group of winemakers was a fun and lively group. They were more than willing to answer questions and share personal stories on top of discussing their own wines and their love of Carmenere in general.

In addition to tasting wines, I thoroughly enjoy it when I have the opportunity to visit with winemakers and kick the dirt in the vineyards. While my first choice would be to visit in person, I am thankful for the technology that allowed me (and my fellow bloggers) to visit with winemakers on another continent. One of these days I hope to be able to visit Chile so that I can complete the experience and kick the dirt in the vineyards, as well as meet some of these talented winemakers in person.

My favorite wine of the tasting was the 2008 Viña La Rosa ‘La Capitana’ Carmenere from the Cachapoal Valley. It was bigger, bolder, and more complex than the others. Rounding out my top three were the 2007 Viu Manent Carmenere Reserva and the 2004 Carmen Wine Maker’s Reserve Red.

If you have not ever tasted Carmenere, I encourage you to give it a try.

Here are the wines we tasted, listed in my personal order of preference:

2008 Viña La Rosa ‘La Capitana’ Carmenere (Cachapoal Valley, Chile): 100% Carmenere. Oak and alcohol come through on the nose but it’s not oaky on the palate. Instead, it boasts dark chocolate covered raspberry flavors. Bigger, bolder, and more complex than the others. Medium-bodied with medium tannins. Smooth and well-balanced with a long finish.

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)

Suggested Retail Price: $18

2007 Viu Manent Carmenere Reserva (Colchagua Valley, Chile): 100% Carmenere. Tons of green peppers, even a hint of jalapeño, on the nose. Ripe red fruits and some oak on the palate. Medium-bodied with medium tannins and a long finish.

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)

Suggested Retail Price: $14

2004 Carmen Wine Maker’s Reserve Red (Maipo Valley, Chile): 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Carmenere, 20% Petite Sirah, and 10% Merlot. Has a gorgeous nose. Aromas and flavors of dark fruits, spice, and chocolate. Full-bodied with medium to high tannins and a long, smooth finish. A big, bold wine. The Cab really shows through in this one.

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)

Suggested Retail Price: $44

2007 Cono Sur Vision Carmenere (Colchagua Valley, Chile): 85% Carmenere, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Syrah. Cono Sur means Southern Cone (i.e. the tip of South America). Smoked meats and black pepper on the nose. Good acidity but also getting some cherry cough syrup action on the palate.

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)

Suggested Retail Price: $15

2007 Odjfell Armador Carmenere (Colchagua and Maipo Valleys, Chile): 100% Carmenere. Pine needle and black cherry aromas. Medium-bodied with low tannins and some spice notes on the finish.

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 2 bangs for your buck (out of 5)

Suggested Retail Price: $13

2007 Ventisquero Grey Carmenere (Maipo Valley, Chile): 85% Carmenere, 7.5% Syrah, and 7.5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Burnt crème and a little barnyard on the nose. Also getting syrupy red fruits and chocolate on the palate, and some bitter, pine needle notes on finish. Full-bodied with medium tannins.

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)

QPR: 1 bang for your buck (out of 5)

Suggested Retail Price: $25

2007 Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere (Rapel Valley, Chile): 100% Carmenere. Red fruits, coffee, and lots of oak. Medium-bodied with low tannins. A bit of a bitter finish.

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

QPR: NR (not recommended)

Suggested Retail Price: $10

2007 Terra Andina Altos Carmenere – Carignan (Central Valley, Chile): 60% Carmenere, 40% Carignan. Stewed tomatoes and sweaty gym socks on the nose. Raspberries, blueberries, and green pepper on the palate. Medium-bodied with medium tannins. Didn’t get a lot from this wine, the finish trails off.

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

QPR: NR (not recommended)

Suggested Retail Price: $18.99

Full Disclosure: We received these wines as samples.

If Miles had tasted either of these Washington Merlots, he never would have made his ridiculous comment about the varietal in the movie, Sideways. Washington State, in general, makes outstanding Merlot. Washington Merlot is known for its sweet cherry flavors and complex aromas and is generally higher in acidity than California Merlot.

Recently, we had what turned out to be a Washington Merlot showdown in one of our double blind private tasting dinners featuring two wines from the 2005 vintage, the 2005 Fielding Hills Merlot and the 2005 Stephenson Cellars Merlot. For a more complete description of how we set up these private tastings, please refer to How We Taste.

Fielding Hills Winery and Stephenson Cellars are two of our favorite Washington producers. They both make outstanding wines across the board from vintage to vintage.

Fielding Hills Winery is a small, family-owned winery located in Wenatchee, Washington. Owner/winemaker Mike Wade and his wife Karen are longtime apple and cherry growers who have turned a middle portion of their orchard near Mattawa into a vineyard. Their Riverbend Vineyard, planted in 1998, is in the Wahluke Slope AVA.

Stephenson Cellars, founded in 2001 by owner/winemaker Dave Stephenson, is a small winery located in Walla Walla, Washington. Dave Stephenson moved to Walla Walla in 1999 and began his career in the wine industry. Studying enology and viticulture textbooks and working at other wineries in Walla Walla prepared him to go out on his own with Stephenson Cellars just two short years later. In 2003, he began consulting for other wineries as well.

Both of these wines are excellent and paired well with our lasagna dinner. We have tasted both of these wines on multiple occasions. It is always fun and quite interesting to revisit wines over time to see if and how they change. These two wines have consistently received high marks from us. In fact, the 2005 Fielding Hill Merlot won our last Washington Merlot tasting dinner in April.

2005 Fielding Hills Merlot (Wahluke Slope, Washington): Deep, dark purple with a very distinctive bouquet. Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, black plums, burnt toast, crème brulee, and black pepper. Luscious black fruits, spice, black pepper, and licorice come through on the palate. Full-bodied with good acidity and medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a very long finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $36

2005 Stephenson Cellars Merlot (Washington State): Deep, dark red. Red and black fruits and some earthy aromas on the nose lead to flavors of black cherry syrup (but not too jammy) and Red Vines. Medium to full-bodied with medium tannins and a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $28

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is aperitifs.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Aperitifs are drinks served before a meal to ‘open’ (from the Latin aperire) the digestive system and stimulate the appetite, of which vermouth and similar drinks are archetypal. Wines commonly served as aperitifs are dry, white, and not too alcoholic: Champagne or any brut sparkling wine; fino and manzanilla sherry; Mosel wines up to Spatlese level of sweetness; less rich Alsace whites; Muscadet, Chablis, and virtually any light, dry, still white wine without too much oak or alcohol.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Aperitifs are drinks served before meals to jumpstart your appetite and cleanse your palate. Champagne or sparkling wine is typically the Wine Peeps’ aperitif of choice. In fact, we generally serve a glass of sparkling wine as the guests arrive at our monthly wine tasting dinners.

I’ll get right to the bottom line: One Vintage: A Year in the Vineyard by Chris Jones is a good, short read, and a very attractive book. I thought its $30 price tag was a little high in this market, but that’s for you to decide.

For over ten years, Chris Jones and her husband have grown Sauvignon Blanc and Sangiovese grapes on their small seven acre Faith Vineyard in Los Olivos, California. John’s day job is as a pilot for United Airlines, while Chris is a writer. A dozen years ago, during the last real estate bust in California, they bought land down the road from Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate.

John says that growing grapes is a lot harder than it looks as he laments the rodents, birds, and coyotes who insist on making a feed trough out of the vineyard. Chris has taken tons of photographs and uses the best of them to complement her stories of what it’s really like in the vineyard

A third-generation Central Coast native, Chris was originally going to write a simple “how to grow grapes” book for wine lovers. Intuition led her in a different direction, however, and One Vintage evolved into a more contemplative work, focusing on the annual rhythm of the vineyard.

In One Vintage, which is an eye catching, small coffee table book bound in natural cork, Chris reveals the everyday reality of work on the farm, from pruning to harvest. It’s a quick read that can teach readers the basics of how grapes develop and the winemaking process as she weaves into the story how the cycle in the vineyard mirrors life.

One Vintage is available directly from the publisher, at select retailers, or through Amazon.com.

Full Disclosure: We received this book as a review copy.

[Update as of 12/1/09: The publisher has dropped the price to $19.95]

Note: The “Wine Word of the Week” series will be moving to Saturdays as this new “A Wine for Tonight” series will be running on Thursdays starting today.

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so this is the first in a series of weekly posts entitled “A Wine for Tonight”.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

Our first “Wine for Tonight” is the 2006 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, one of our longtime everyday-favorite Cabs. Widely available (200,000 cases were produced) at about $9, it has excellent QPR with a rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

“Though the Wine Advocate has been bellowing it for years, it is worth repeating: Columbia Crest is the source of some of the finest values in the world. I am awestruck that winemaker Ray Einberger and his team can produce such quality in industrial-size quantities.” –Pierre Rovani, April 2006

Columbia Crest has been one of our favorite sources of value wines for many years and was featured in our Making your wine buying simple, enjoyable, and easy on the pocketbook post last year. Time after time in the blind tastings at our monthly wine tasting dinners, a Columbia Crest wine has finished at or near the top in the consensus rankings while invariably being one of the lowest priced wines in the tasting.

“Intense cherry, cassis and slight spice aromas lead to fruit-forward flavors of chocolate berry on the palate. This supple wine trails into a long finish that offers silky tannins and a slightly spiced cocoa finish.” –Winemaker Ray Einberger’s tasting notes on the 2006 Grand Estates Cab

2006 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $9

Last week, Dad (John) and I attended the Cabernet Classic sponsored by Seattle Uncorked at the Shilshole Bay Beach Club here in Seattle. It was a fundraiser for CoCA, the Center on Contemporary Art, and featured Cabernets and Cabernet-based blends. We tasted 46 wines from 23 different Washington State wineries. It was a great opportunity to taste wines from some promising newcomers as well as some great veterans of the Washington wine industry.

Six wines received a Quality rating of 4 stars (out of 5) or higher, and seven wines received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5). Our favorite wine of the evening was the 2007 Gilbert Cellars Cabernet Franc. We had tasted this wine in the barrel when we visited the winery in June. It was fabulous then and is continuing to improve now that it has been bottled. The grapes for this wine were sourced from 1985 Cabernet Franc vines from Indian Wells Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope. The sad part of this story is that they will never be able to make this same wine again as the vines were ripped out after Gilbert bought these grapes.

Chatter Creek Winery was another highlight of the evening for us. Owner/winemaker Gordy Rawson was on hand pouring three of his wines. We thought both his 2006 Blend 105 and 2007 Cabernet Franc were excellent.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted at the Cabernet Classic. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region within Washington State will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Gilbert Cellars Cabernet Franc, Wahluke Slope, $32, QPR: 4

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2006 Windy Point Vineyards Pointless Red, Yakima Valley, $15, QPR: 5
2006 Chatter Creek Blend 105, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 5
2007 Cedergreen Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $36, QPR: 5
2004 Forgeron Cellars Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $46, QPR: 5
2007 Chatter Creek Cabernet Franc, Horse Heaven Hills, $22, QPR: 4

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2004 Windy Point Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $21, QPR: 5
2006 Gamache Vintners Boulder Red, Columbia Valley, $18, QPR: 4
2007 Edmonds Winery Delorious, Columbia Valley, $23, QPR: 4
2006 Pondera Winery Melvado, Columbia Valley, $23, QPR: 4
2005 Forgeron Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2007 Gilbert Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope, $32, QPR: 4
2006 Patterson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain, $32, QPR: 4
2006 Cedergreen Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $36, QPR: 4
2005 Brian Carter Cellars Solesce, Yakima Valley, $58, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2006 Jones of Washington Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope, $15, QPR: 5
2006 Silver Lake Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Rattlesnake Hills, $19.99, QPR: 5
2006 Skylite Cellars Big Red Hiney, Walla Walla Valley, $14.95, QPR: 4
NV Patterson Cellars Woodslake Due Anni, Washington State, $16, QPR: 4
2006 Big Daddy Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $18, QPR: 4
2007 Brian Carter Cellars Abracadabra, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Martinez & Martinez Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $23, QPR: 4
2004 Glen Fiona Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $24.99, QPR: 4
2006 Chatter Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 4
2006 Jones of Washington Jack’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope, $25, QPR: 4
2007 Edmonds Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 4
2003 Lowden Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $27, QPR: 4
2005 Skylite Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 4
2002 Lowden Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $28, QPR: 4
2005 Gamache Vintners Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: 4
2006 Alexandria Nicole Alderdale Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $35, QPR: 3
2005 Cedergreen Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $36, QPR: 3
2006 Pondera Winery Consensio, Columbia Valley, $33, QPR: 2
2006 Smasne Cellars Clone 6 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $48, QPR: 2

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Big Smooth Red Wine, Washington State, $18, QPR: NR
2007 Coyote Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $18, QPR: NR
2007 Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte, Horse Heaven Hills, $20, QPR: NR
2006 Martinez & Martinez Cesar Red, Horse Heaven Hills, $20, QPR: NR
2007 Smasne Cellars County Line Red, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: NR
2004 Eaton Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $22, QPR: NR
2004 Lowden Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $24, QPR: NR
2005 Palouse Winery Eclipse, Rattlesnake Hills, $26, QPR: NR
2005 Eaton Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $31, QPR: NR
2006 Palouse Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Rattlesnake Hills, $36, QPR: NR
2005 Alder Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $40, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2005 Coyote Canyon Bozak Red, Horse Heaven Hills, $28, QPR: NR

There are as many different types of wine parties as there are wines. For some people, it can be intimidating to know how to plan a wine party. At a recent wine auction party at the home of our good friends, Darren and Mardee, I was talking with another guest who wanted to plan a wine party but had a number of questions about the type of party to plan, what wine to serve, and how much wine to have on hand. Before I go any further, let me just say that there is no right or wrong here, but hopefully some of these ideas and suggestions will help her and others who may have similar questions.

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Types of Wine Parties

• Wine tasting dinners – For those looking to pair wine with food for a small group of guests, sit-down wine tasting dinners are an excellent option. Regular readers know that we Wine Peeps host a monthly wine tasting dinner. In fact, this Friday we will be hosting our 77th wine tasting dinner. We serve six bottles of wine for eight people, tasting the wines throughout the course of the evening paired with a four-course meal. For a more complete explanation of how we set up these dinners, visit our Tasting Dinners page.
• Stand-up wine party – For those interested in tasting more wines and having more guests without serving a full meal, a stand-up (or walk-around) wine party works well. Either the host provides all of the wines or each guest is asked to bring a bottle to share. Generally, hors d’oeuvres or small plates are served which helps guests clear their palates and keep them from taking in too much alcohol on an empty stomach.
• Wine auction party – For those looking for a fundraising idea, a wine auction party is a great option. I thought that the recent wine auction party we attended was an excellent format for combining fun and low-pressure fundraising. The hosts selected the charity, and each guest (or couple) was asked to bring two bottles of the exact same wine. When they arrived, the hosts took both bottles, bagging one up and setting the second aside. When all the guests had arrived, the bagged bottles were set out for tasting. Each bottle had been given an alternate name (you could also use numbers or letters) for identification purposes while the guests tasted. Next to each bottle was a bid sheet. Guests were encouraged to bid on their favorite wines. Most bids started at $5 or $10 and went up in $5 increments. At an appointed time, bidding was stopped, and the identity of the wines and the winning bidders were announced. The winning bidder of each wine took home the second unopened bottle of that wine.

Themes

Oftentimes, wine parties have themes. It is certainly not necessary but can be a fun way to try a lot of different wines that have a common thread. Each of our monthly wine tasting dinners has a theme, generally centered on a varietal and/or region (i.e. Washington Merlot, Australian Shiraz, etc).

Basic theme ideas include: red wines, white wines, rosé wines, sparkling wines, dessert wines, varietals (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, etc), countries or regions (i.e. Italy, California, Walla Walla Valley, etc). For more thought-provoking themes, I recommend taking a look at some of the themes used in previous Wine Blogging Wednesdays such as “Today’s Wine Brought to You by the Letter ‘S’,” “Wine for Breakfast,” and “A Grape By Any Other Name.”

Along these same lines, additional options include blind tastings, vertical tastings, or horizontal tastings.

How Much Wine to Serve

The amount of wine that should be served really depends on the type of wine party you are having. As I mentioned earlier, for our monthly wine tasting dinner, we serve six bottles of wine for eight guests. We use measured pourers that pour 5/8 of an ounce which gives us 40 pours per bottle. To begin the evening, we pour three pours from each bottle in each glass which means that we have two additional pours per bottle per person for refills during the evening.

For stand-up parties, plan for about half a bottle per person. Each standard 750ml bottle of wine serves approximately five glasses, so a half bottle per person provides each guest with about two and a half glasses.

Conclusion

No matter which type of wine party you choose, and whether or not you have a theme, just keep in mind…

WINE + FRIENDS = FUN

But, please remember to be a responsible host. Provide your guests with plenty of water, crackers, and a safe ride home if they need one.

Cheers!