Missouri Wine

Plan your own wine tasting party

Choosing a Theme

Deciding on the theme of your tasting will set the tone for the rest of your event and give a purpose to your planning. Is it a bridal shower, a wine dinner or just a Friday night get-together with friends and family? If you need some ideas, here are a few more specialized themes to get you going:

  • Morning Brunch – Sparkling wines work well.
  • Potluck – Ask each guests to bring a bottle of wine of their choice along with a food item.
  • Regional Wine Tasting – Focus on wines from one designated region – like Missouri. Be sure to include local foods on your menu and local artists on your playlists.
  • Horizontal Tasting - Taste all of the same varietals (e.g. Chardonel) from six different wineries. You’ll be surprised at how much they can differ from one winery to another!
  • Vertical Tasting – Try different vintages of the same grape varietal from the same winery.  For example: 2000  Norton, 2004 Norton, 2006 Norton and 2008 Norton. Can you taste the differences?
  • Blind Wine Tasting – Brown bag the bottles or find another unique way to hide the grape varietals from your guests. Make the guests guess the wine. For a more challenging tasting, try guessing the region, vintage, etc. The possibilities are endless.
  • Seasonal Wine Tasting – Pumpkin, Cranberry, Plum, Spiced Apple … there are lots of fun seasonal wines to experience.
  • Dessert Wine Tasting – Pick wines to pair with your favorite desserts.
  • Under $10 Wine Tasting – Ask guests to bring their favorite budget-friendly wine.
  • Green Wine Tasting – Feature organic wines or recycle your corks into corkboards or another fun art project.

Add interest to any wine tasting by having a wine glass–decorating contest.  Ask guests to decorate their chosen wine glass for the evening. The winner gets a bottle of wine to take home. Or ask guests to bring two bottles of wine and play white elephant. This is a great way for everyone to try new wines!  Don’t forget to choose the right music to complement your theme.

Selecting the Wine

Your theme should help you decide what wines to pour at your tasting. However, a typical wine tasting includes a variety of wine, ranging from white to red. There are three basic types of wine.  Sparkling wines can be dry or sweet. Table wines may be white, red or blush and vary from dry to sweet. Dessert wines include lusciously sweet late harvest or ice wines and fortified wines such as ports and sherries.

For a typical wine tasting, we suggest the following line-up:

  • Sparkling Wine – a great aperitif
  • Chardonel/Vidal Blanc – dry white wine
  • Chambourcin – light-bodied, dry red
  • Norton – deep, full-bodied, dry red
  • Traminette – white, floral wine (ranges from off-dry to semi-sweet)
  • Vignoles – semi-sweet, citrus, white wine
  • Late Harvest/Dessert wine

The best way to discover what you like is by tasting a variety of different wines. Visiting Missouri wineries gives you a unique opportunity to taste fine wines under the guidance of trained staff and, in some cases, the actual winery owners or winemakers.

Supplies You’ll Need

  • Invitations – written, online or verbal
  • Wine
  • Palate Cleansers - such as crackers or bread
  • Corkscrew
  • Glasses
  • Food
  • Dump bucket
  • Water pitcher
  • Napkins
  • Bottled water and/or coffee for guests
  • Music – helps set the mood
  • Wine charms (optional)


Remember: there are no wrong answers when it comes to wine—just different tastes and opinions. So relax. Have fun! The most important ingredient for a successful wine tasting is great company.