How To Impress Your Friends At Your Next Wine Party

Throwing your first wine party? Congratulations!

DMV Distributing in Frederick, Maryland, has a few tips on how to impress your guests. From swirling and sniffing to proper food pairing, here’s how to win your friends over.

Remember the 5 S’s. The 5 S’s are a set of the must-know rules for every tasting room. It goes as follows:

• See. Look at the wine, tilt your glass, and take note of the color, clarity, viscosity, and so on.
• Swirl. Move your glass in a circular motion to allow oxygen to mix with the wine. This aeration allows the wine to open up if it’s a fresh bottle.
• Sniff. Smell the wine. Close your eyes, and allow this singular sense to experience the wine.
• Sip. Take a small sip, and let it linger on your taste buds.
• Savor. Let the wine linger on your taste buds for a few seconds, then swallow slowly.

Let the wine linger on your taste buds for a few seconds, then swallow slowly. This is one of the most basic differentiations you can make in a tasting room — yet it’s so important! Typically, if a wine is sweeter, the climate it came from is warmer. A dry wine indicates an absence of sugar.

Hold the glass by the stem. Most traditional wine glasses come with a stem. This is to avoid getting fingerprints on the glass. A lack of fingerprints means you can see the wine better — taking it back to the first S.

Pour it properly. Don’t drink it straight from the bottle, and don’t fight gravity by pouring straight into a wine glass. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide from Wachusett Liquors in Massachusetts:

1. Remove the foil from the bottle to prevent any dripping (and to look like a pro.)
2. Take a dish towel and wipe the opening of the bottle to remove any dust and debris.
3. Hold the bottle in two hands, and pour 4 or 5 ounces of wine into the glass. (If you pour wine from 6 to 10 inches away, this will help the wine aerate as you pour.)
4. Once you’re at the end of your pour, gently twist the bottle to prevent dripping.

Give a toast! A speech is easy when you have something to celebrate during your wine party. From college graduation to a first home to a newborn baby to a job promotion, life’s milestones provide the perfect toast topics.

If you’re running low on celebrations, give a toast about enjoying life, youth, happiness, or love. These toast topics resonate with everyone, so you won’t fall short on a round of applause.

Pair wine with a great cheese. Wine and cheese go hand-in-hand — literally. It’s tough to figure out which wine goes best with which cheese, though. Here’s a short list of no-fail pairings for your next wine party:

• Sparkling wine or Champagne pairs well with brie or camembert cheese. The salty, mushroom flavor of these cheeses is a perfect complement to a sparkly beverage.
• Chardonnay pairs well with comté, a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese with a slightly sweet taste.
• Pinot Grigio is a light, tropical wine that pairs perfectly with fontina, also known as “the other brie.” Fontina is creamy, earthy, and light — a great match to a good Pinot Grigio.
• Dry Riesling is highly acidic with a light, fresh flavor. It goes well with goat cheese, a soft, tangy complement that comes in a variety of flavors. From berry-infused to herbed to plain, this combination is amazing.
• Dry Rosé wine offers crisp floral scents, which balances well with a sharp, slightly sweet wedge of cheddar cheese. A well-aged cheddar slice has a crumbly texture that’s a perfect partner to this blush wine.
• Malbec is dominated by big flavors like plum and cherry. An intense aromatic cheese like Gruyére withstands this boldness and marries all flavors seamlessly.

From holding a wine glass like a pro to properly pairing wine and cheese, these tips are sure to impress your friends at your next wine party.