How to Decorate for a Wine Tasting Party

Choosing Décor

Pick a theme to create cohesiveness. To make your planning and decorating easier, try picking a particular theme. For instance, you could pick a particular region, such as wines of southern France or even wines local to your area. Alternatively, you could focus on one type of wine, such as all Merlot or Chardonnay. Another option is picking wines that pair perfectly with a certain food (such as chocolate or cheese). For instance, if you pick local wines in Texas, you could use plates or coasters in the shape of the state. Alternatively, if you choose a food theme such as chocolate, you could add metallic decorations (for the wrappers) and make coasters that look like chocolate bars.

Decorate around the wine. You can also pick decorations based on the wine. For instance, you could have bunches of fresh grapes around, wreathes made from fake vines and grapes, and cork coasters.

Use the wine as a centerpiece. The wine is the point of the party, so make it the centerpiece. If you're sitting around a table to taste, place the bottles on a pretty stand in the middle. If the guests are going to mingle while tasting, place them on their own table or on several small tables if you have a large number of guests.

Use old wine bottles in your decorations. For instance, you could use wine bottles to hold a small bouquet of flowers, or you could use them to hold small taper candles. Alternatively, hang a small picture frame on a wine bottle featuring something that follows the theme of your party. You could also wrap wine bottles in hemp or yarn for a colorful centerpiece. Start at the bottom, gluing it on as you wrap it around the bottle, completely covering the glass. Another option is to remove the labels from mini wine bottles, and paint each guest's name on a bottle as a place marker at the table.

Prop up food labels with wine corks. If you have old wine corks, you can use them as label holders for your food. Cut it down one side length-wise to create a flat edge for the table. Next, cut a small slit in the top, and insert a card with the label on it.

Add a color scheme. A great way to choose a color scheme is to begin with the color of your wine. For instance, if you're starting with a Merlot, you have one of your colors. Pick another color to match, and you're good to go. Pick up supplies in those colors, including small plates, napkins, flowers, and other accessories. If you're going with a regional theme, try decorating with that state's or country's colors, such as blue, white, and red for a French region. If you're choosing a food theme like chocolate, start with a dark brown as your first color and pair it with the color of the wine.

Use the season in your decorations. Using the season in your decorating is always a safe bet. Try gourds, pumpkins, leaves, and cranberries in fall. In winter, try pine cones, pine branches, cranberries, and tinsel. For spring, think bright flowers and fresh vases of grasses. In the summer, go a little more whimsical with flowers, bowls of fresh fruit, tiny umbrellas, and bright colors. Try placing seasonal items in vases or large bowls. You can even just arrange them in a pretty pattern on a table runner or tablecloth. Sparkling lights work for all seasons to add ambience.

Think about the location when decorating. The location of the party can also affect how you decorate. For instance, if you're hosting it in your backyard, maybe you want a garden party theme with fresh flowers, brightly colored lanterns, and floating candles. If you're going to a winery out in the country, you may want more rustic décor, such as bandanas for napkins, mason jars for wine glasses, and chalkboards. Alternatively, if you are hosting at an upscale location, try white tablecloths, crystal or glass candle holders with taper candles, and fresh flowers. If you're hosting it in your dining room, maybe go more informal with festive, colorful plates, baskets of bread or crackers, and small unscented candles.

Amp up the ambiance with lighting. Lighting is essential to setting the mood. If you're outdoors in the evening, try adding strings of lights or lanterns for a touch of whimsy, or place torches around the sitting area. Candles on the table add ambiance indoors or outside. Inside, soft lighting from lamps and candles can create a more intimate, festive feel.

Adding Wine Charms to the Glasses

Buy wine charms for glam and clarity. If you're planning a particular theme, try buying charms in that theme. You'll find many options for beaded charms, for instance, that guests can place on their glasses to distinguish them from other guests' glasses. You can also create your own beaded wine charms by stringing bought charms on earring hoops or wine charm hoops, which you can buy online.

Create monogrammed wine charms. One simple way to make your own is to start by making 1 inch (2.5 cm) circles out of two-sided scrapbook paper. Make smaller circles that are about 0.75 inches (1.9 cm); use a contrasting plain color. Write out each person's name or initials on one of the smaller circles. You can write the date of the party on another small circle, if you'd like. Glue the smaller circles onto the larger circles (if you're using a date, place the name on one side and the date on the other). You can laminate the charms or leave them as-is. Punch holes at the top of the charms. Place them on earring hoops or wine charm hoops.

Print pictures off the internet for charms. With the whole internet at your fingertips, you can create any variety of charms. Just make sure each one is different (under a single theme). You could do fruit, gems, flowers, animals, or really anything that strikes your fancy. Copy and paste images with white backgrounds into a word processing document. Adjust the charms until they are about an inch or so apiece. If you want to skip this step, look for a wine charm template. Print off a page of charms on card stock. Laminate them (if you'd like), and punch a hole in the top. Place them on wire rings or earring hoops.

Create charms with stickers and card stock. Punch circles out of card stock. Add a small sticker to the center of each circle. Laminate the circles, or leave them as is. Punch a whole in the top and place them on wire rings or earring hoops.

Adding the Necessities

Make the wine-tasting steps a decoration. Part of a wine tasting party is learning to properly taste wine. Many people don't know how to go through the proper steps, so instead of trying to remind them each time, have a guide on hand. You can print the steps up on pretty paper and place it in a nice frame near the wine. The basic steps are swirl the wine, observe it, sniff it, and taste it.

Create cute wine-tasting note pages. If you're going to have your guests do a more formal tasting, then you should create a small page for them to take notes on. It can be as simple as a blank sheet of paper bordered with a nice piece of scrapbook paper. Alternatively, you can print off a full sheet with each wine name, along with a scoring section for things like appearance, aroma, body, taste, finish, and total for each wine. That way, it will be easy to pick a winner.

Provide some decorative spit buckets. It's hard to class up something with a name like "Spit bucket." However, spit buckets are necessary if some guests want to limit how much they drink. You can go for a classic stainless steel spit bucket, found online or at some wine accessory stores. You could also just use pretty cups or pots.

Choose plain, clear wine glasses. Wine glasses are not the place to get fancy. They should be clear so that guest can judge the color and appearance of the wine. Plan on at least one glass for each person, though with two glasses apiece, guests can compare wines more easily.

Place palate cleansers on decorative plates. Palate cleansers can be as simple as bread, crackers, and/or water. Use cute plates that match your theme, and place small platters in different places so all guests can have access to them.

Don't forget the background music. While music isn't strictly a decoration, it does contribute to the ambiance of your party. Try to tie the music into your theme. For instance, if you're tasting French wines, try some light French music.