How to Host a Wine Tasting Party

June 8, 2011

Philippines Wine Shop Clark Wine Center is pleased to share with you articles, news and information about wine, wine events, wine tasting and other topics related to wine and the appreciation of wine.

A Beginner’s Guide to Learning About the World of Wine

The popularity of wine has risen significantly over the past ten years, with a rise in the pursuit of becoming a wine connoisseur. Although a love of wine is a prerequisite to become an ‘official’

connoisseur, the talent also needs to be developed, grown, and enhanced over time. With the overwhelming amount of information available on wine, the various magazines covering latest finds, and an extensive history of wine-making across the globe, it can be an intimidating subject. A great way to begin is to host a wine tasting party in your home! Organize an evening with friends and family to learn about wine basics, and begin your journey into the World of Wine as a lifetime learning opportunity. You’ll quickly learn how the rich history of the regions play a key role in wine cultivation, how to define and identify tastes and flavors on your palette, and how to pour wine the ‘proper’ way.

Step 1:

The first step in organizing your wine tasting is to choose from either a red, or white wine for that evening. Although you may want to do both, it is recommended to choose one to start and follow up with another session for the next time. You’ll not only benefit from a thorough understanding of the one type, but you’ll quickly learn your tolerance level for the taste. If you and the attendees are not frequent wine drinkers, this is a great opportunity to begin slowly.

Step 2:

The second step is to select five to six wines and note the regions. Visit your local wine store and ask to speak with a sales representative or knowledgeable staff member for recommendations. Remember, you are looking for basic, ‘beginner’ wines for now, and can move onto the more in-depth and Reserve wines at a later date.

Step 3:

Select appetizers and side dishes to serve. The third step after choosing red or white, will be to complement the tasting with snacks. Well-chosen snacks include natural cheese, fresh fruit, and even plain pieces of

steak for red wines. For white, opt for light cheeses, crackers, and light salty snacks. The idea is to enhance the wine’s flavors, and not overwhelm the palates with a full-course meal!

Step 4:

Arrange meeting time, place, and date, and send out invites! Round up a fun crowd of friends and family, and do disclose the purpose of the event.

Step 5:

Ensure that water and soda water are readily available. This is necessary to ‘cleanse’ the palette between tasting each type of wine, so that you can truly experience the unique flavor, textures, and density of each wine. Some may choose to simply ‘roll’ the wine in their mouths and spit it out in order to taste; make sure there are plenty of bowls available for this!

Step 6: Construct comment/note cards to make note of your findings. This is a great activity for all members of your party, as it encourages note-taking on your new discoveries! It also makes sure you know what wine you now like, (or dislike) after your results. You can even set up a ‘blind taste-test’ at this point, and see who’s taste buds are most trained to identify flavors and corresponding wine.

Step 7: Keep track in a tasting log. This can be a journal, an electronic log, or any sort of notebook that let’s you remember what you have tried, and how different varieties taste. By writing these down, you can also research each brand, location, or vintage online for more information.

Step 8: Enjoy and continue researching! As you get better and more comfortable, invite your ‘club’ for future tastings, and develop plans for your next region or wine type. You can choose specific wines from one country, one state, or even one varietal and expand from there.

The key to beginning wine tasting is to learn as much as you can as you go along. You will never know every single wine or vintage, but you can learn a lot from magazines, books, and online resources that showcase signature and trademark selections. Seek out local wine bistros and stores that feature their own tastings, and you’ll also find more people with a similar interest. You’ll also learn the many definitions to describe what you experience with each wine, a key characteristic of the well-educated wine connoisseur!

Over the holidays, travelers from Manila going to the north for a getaway destination choose Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines as a popular holiday location. Aside from day-time sports and other activities, visitors look for a good wine shop to buy some good wine to celebrate a special occasion or just to make the holiday and vacation more enjoyable. Many wine lovers pick up some good bottles from Clark Wine Center to bring to dinner in some of the good restaurants in Angeles City, Clark Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the most famous fine dining restaurants outside of Manila, located in Mimosa Leisure Estate inside Clark Airbase or Clark Freeport Zone as it is now called. This popular restaurant has become a tourist attraction, a place to visit for those who are in Pampanga, Subic, Angeles City and of course, Clark Philippines. The famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center supplies this famous restaurant in Clark Philippines as well as other good restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga with good wines of all price ranges.

Wine is becoming increasingly popular in Manila and other cities in the Philippines. Wine lovers in Manila travel to the north to visit Clark, Pampanga to shop for good and rate vintage wines at good duty-free prices. The most frequently visited liquor shop in Manila and wine shop in Pampanga is Clark Wine Center. This highly recommended wine shop located outside Manila near Angeles City, Pampanga in North Luzon is known for offering a great selection of fine vintage wine that is good quality and good value for money also.

This well-known wine shop is a famous shopping destination for wine enthusiasts in Manila and wine lovers from other cities in Asia including Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo.

Famous Philippines wine supplier known for its line of fine vintage wines, Yats Wine Cellars was established in 2000 to address the requirement of a growing population of wine enthusiasts in the Philippines. This 5-star wine shop caters to the discerning client who requires these qualities in their wines: (1) excellent value, (2) large selection of labels and vintages to choose from and (3) wines properly aged for full enjoyment.

Public wine tastings are held from time to time in Clark and sometimes in Manila. Tickets range from p500 to p1500 for these themed events that are professionally run –no wine merchants sponsorship, pushy salesmen or tacky banners to ruin the evening. Each ticket contains a certain number of stubs that can be redeemed for a tasting pour of a wine among those on a line-up which often contains wines that are quite old and expensive.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com