HOST YOUR OWN WINE TASTING

Cooler weather heralds the arrival of autumn in the San Joaquin Valley, a welcome cap to a long, hot summer. Living in Tulare County, a stone's throw from several award-winning wine grape appelations, we should toast the end of the growing season with a wine tasting party.

Whether it's a gathering for two or 12, it's easier than you think. So while wineries throughout the state are crushing their grapes this month, readying for future vintages, invite your friends over for a taste of seasons past.

You'll uncork some fun while learning the basics of wine tasting.

Your party can take many forms, from casual to elegant, but the main goal is to enjoy the liquid in your glass and conversations around you.

Getting started

First and foremost, use a quality wine glass, and keep a good supply of wine glasses on hand, recommends WineCountryGetaways.com. Wine lovers appreciate drinking wine from a good wine glass. Glasses come in many different shapes depending on the varietal you'll be serving (chardonnay, Bordeaux, zinfandel, etc.)

Melina Maack, owner of La Piazza Ristorante Italiano in Tulare, holds four to five wine-tasting events a year at her restaurant. Her first piece of advice? "Stock up on lots of glasses," she said. Some wine drinkers prefer a new glass with each bottle, while others don't.

Choose a theme for your party

Choose a varietal, a region, or a price range. For example, you could buy six bottles of pinot noir from any region for under $20 each, the goal being to find an inexpensive but delicious pinot noir. This will help narrow down the type of glasses you will need on hand.

Taste six bottles of zinfandel (or any wine you prefer) from a variety of California regions, such as Russian River Valley, the Central Coast or Carneros in Sonoma County, and compare the characteristics of the wine from each area.

Taste six wines in a variety of price ranges, for example, six chardonnays ranging in price from $15 to $60. Determine if price matters.

Try a vertical tasting: sipping a particular wine from many vintages, such as a winery's Cabernet Sauvignon from 2001, 2002, 2003, and so on.

Taste wines from a particular country, and serve appetizers from that country. Turn on music, too. How about Argentinian, Australian or Austrian wines? Encourage your guests to dress the part, too.

Passion

While parties can be held at home, Maack said many local wine clubs will hold one of their monthly gatherings in the banquet room of the restaurant.

"There are certain groups who put me on their calendar just to shake up their wine club a bit, and we'll have anywhere from 10 to 40 people," she said.

But for the home host, Maack said to start with a simple goal: "Keep the focus on your passion, and it will come through in the party," she said. For Maack, Italian wines are her passion. One wine club decided to pair their dinners with California wines and then compare them to Italian wines.

Pairing food with wine

You can keep it simple by serving a variety of cheeses and crackers to help neutralize the palate between wines, or if you would like to impress your guests, try a spread of appetizers.

"People love the diversity of appetizer pairings," said Elaine Dakessian, chef and owner of Tre Bien in Visalia. "The whole idea of wine pairing has changed a lot in the last few years, mainly because there are so many ethnic foods now that people are enjoying, so the rules have changed."

Gone are the days of red wine with red meat, she said.

"There are so many great wines to choose from now so it's really what you like more than what the rules are," Dakessian said.

Another way to add fun to the party is to ask your guests to bring their favorite appetizers.

Selecting the wine

Once you have established a theme, purchased glasses and decided on appetizers, it's time to set up your party. According to a wine-tasting article on ezinearticles.com, eight to 12 people is considered the optimum number of guests.

Selecting the wine is one of the best parts of party planning. In Visalia, head to Frank's Liquor for a dizzying variety of wines from around the world. In Exeter, try Monet's, a wine bar and bistro, or other local stores that carry wine, such as World Market or your local grocery store.

Before the party, bag your wines to mask their labels. This is called a blind tasting. Pour about two ounces of wine into your guests' glasses and have them score the wine on a piece of paper. Many stores, such as Pier 1 in Visalia and several online sources, sell wine tasting party kits for about $20 and they come with score cards, pour spouts and charms for the glasses (so nobody accidentally swipes your glass). Or forms can be downloaded on the Internet.