3 Tips to Help You Find the Right Bottle of Wine for Your Special Occasion

Different occasions have varying needs—feel, food, company, and wine. For everyone to enjoy an occasion, certain preparations have to be made—this makes the occasion more special. It strengthens the bond between the people involved and definitely puts everyone at ease. Every occasion cannot be complete if you forget about wine. There are many different types of wine to choose from, and picking at random won’t do you any good. Thus, you need to study and ask for help when you pick out a wine for a particular occasion.

How to Pick a Good Bottle of Wine

Visit Wineries

To develop a great palette for wines, you can visit wineries like NZ Organic Wineries for wine tasting events. These wineries can answer your questions for you, and with your experience in tasting a variety of wines, you can easily classify them and pick a few wines that will suit every occasion you will be possibly hosting or joining in the future. Educating yourself is important if you want to impress your guests.

A White or Rose Wine is Good for Starters

If you’ve never had wine before, you can introduce a sweet wine to your palette. This will be a good introduction and will not overwhelm you with strong flavours you’re not yet ready for. Just like food, your preference over time will change as you experience trying out different flavours and exploring new options. With the two wines now introduced, you can try something light to get ready for your next wine tasting experience. This goes for your company as well. You can even pick these wines for a fun occasion.

Reflect on the Crowd You Will be Hosting

Each kind of wine is unique. Thus, in choosing the right wine for a particular occasion, you might need to check and see who your visitors will be and what their preferences are. It wouldn’t hurt to know if they are fond of apple juice or grapefruit or if they prefer their coffee black—especially if you are hosting a small occasion where you know just about everyone in the room. For those individuals who like their juices, perhaps a sweet wine or a dry, white wine. Likewise, for coffee lovers who take it as dark as night, they will most likely fall for an Old World wine—Old World wines are traditional wines which come from places where the very first wisps of winemaking began, like France, Italy, or Spain. If a latte is more preferable though, a New World wine will match your visitor’s taste. This type of wine usually comes from the United States, Australia, or South Africa.

Ask Yourself a Couple of Questions Regarding the Occasion

When you’re hosting an event at which you plan to serve wine, you can determine the selection you’ll serve by asking yourself some questions about your event:

Is Your Aim to Please the Crowd?

If you’re hosting a small gathering with your friends or family just to chitchat and maybe snack a little bit, you can prepare a bottle of red and white. Not everyone has the same taste, so a choice of either wine will allow all your guests to enjoy the night. Find a balanced and moderate flavour that will appeal to your guests.

Are You Going All Out with a Meal?

Before purchasing a bottle of wine, plan out your meal first. Is it going to be light with chicken and fish, or heavy with red meat like beef or lamb? The type of meal will dictate the type of wine you’ll have to get. White wines typically complement lighter dishes, while red wines are best paired with heavy meals. Careful with your salt as this will also enhance your wine’s flavour. If you’re using wine in a recipe, you better be wary about it and coordinate your meal with either the same kind of wine or a complementary pick.

Are You Going to Mix Your Wines or Drink Them as Is?

If you’re making a cocktail or even a sangria, the subtle taste of each wine is not that important. Thus, you can choose any type of wine—even those that are not too expensive, because people will enjoy it nevertheless. However, if you’re going to drink the wine as is, you have to be more sensitive to the flavours you’re choosing. The secret to nailing the perfect wine for the occasion would be to imagine yourself as already there—what would your palette crave at a wedding, birthday, or a Thanksgiving dinner?

There are so many elements to a beautifully tasting wine. They can set the mood of your event, so it is important to always come prepared and have at least some basic knowledge regarding wines.