So you want to start your own Ethanauts-style group? Great!
A quick note: In the rest of this document, I will use "wine" to refer to "the alcoholic beverage being consumed."
The long history made short: I had run a tasting series for some friends around, let's say, a number of years back. I enjoyed tasting a number of wines at once with friends. We got to compare many things, both the wines and our collective palates.
So my wife and I decided it was time to do it again.
The rest of this entry grows from this. It is a recommendation on how to start and run a tasting group. It is based on how we started and continue to run our group -- a general structure that has worked well for years.
Our group consists of fourteen people, seven couples or pairs (friends whose spouses aren't interested).
Each is willing to commit (for the most part) to monthly tastings. A regular
group is important; it allows us to build a common knowledge base. It also allows for the development of a strong
sense of community.
We schedule our tastings monthly, on the third Friday of the month. I recommend a similar approach -- a regular, monthly schedule. We average 8-12 people each session. If there are fewer than eight, we cancel the month's meeting. We do not reschedule within the month -- we don't want to get into the trap of having to chose one week (2nd Friday) over another (4th Friday, for example) when different people can't make each -- too much the feel of favoritism! So, it is eight people (minimal) or no tasting!
Our schedule is published around a year in advance. But it can be fluid. If a tasting is cancelled, we shift the schedule by a month. The schedule is by the pair, so it repeats, for the most part, every seven months.
The host couple is responsible for selecting the topic and the beverages. We all split the cost of the beverages. the host couple supplies bread, cheese, and other things to eat while tasting. The host couple covers the cost of the food items.
The host couple also provides copies of a tasting sheet, summarizing what we are tasting and providing room for comments. They may also provide additional material, such as articles, readings, maps, etc.
Select a small number (four?) of people who get along well and enjoy good food and drink. If they are interested in committing, the six or so of you can identify another eight to twelve people (a few backups). Add people until you get to twelve or fourteen. I recommend fourteen.
Here is the manifesto I sent out in an early email to our members to describe the general structure. A lot of it has changed (we're pretty fluid, no pun intended), but it provides a good foundation/base group culture.
We have an email list. Google groups is great for that. Everyone in our group uses it to get a head-count for gatherings, post general wine/beer/etc. tidbits, etc. An email list is highly recommended.
We also have a web site (this one) to keep our long-term information. This is optional.
You'll need a good, stable set of stemware. Each person should have at least four glasses, preferably six. You can get decent/inexpensive glasses from a restaurant supply store. You'll need around 72 (two cases at 36/case or three cass at 24/case). I recommend 6-8 oz. glasses -- enough to pour an ounce or two of wine and swirl, but not so large that you can't afford the room for the glasses, let alone the cost.
Two possibilities for purchasing:
I chose the former when I ran a tasting series many years ago. I still had the glasses, so I can use them again.
Glasses DO break. I found reasonably-close subsitutes when some broke.
After each session, the host for the next session takes the glasses (both dirty and not-used-clean) and washes them. We all share this burden.
I ran the first tasting. The title was "Six Reds, Six Whites". The goal was to be a general refresher, to be able to compare wines that at first glance looked the same, and to develop the basic processes of assessing color, smell, taste, and texture.
We started with a flight six whites: chardonnay, riesling, pinot blanc, gewurtztraminer, vouvray, and muscat. Then we moved to six reds: cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, malbec, sangiovese, zinfandel, and shiraz. All were in the same price range.
I poured the first glass for myself, around one to two ounces, to demonstrate the appropriate amount to serve. Remind everyone there was going to be a lot to drink, and it was appropriate to drink only some of the wine and then discard the rest in the spill bucket. Yes, we drink instead of tasting and spitting out. Yes, we drink more of things we actually like.
We practice swirling. Looking. Sniffing. Tasting. And pouring out.
The first few tastings after this can ideally focus on the "big grapes". A tasting for chardonnay alone, followed by a tasting for cabernet sauvignon alone, etc. Each of these can include both old world and new world wines. Prices should range from very cheap up ($10 a bottle or less) up to high priced ($40-50 and above). This lets everyone see how balance and taste (quality, in general) change from the low to the high end.
If you have people in your group who are already wine-saavy (or beer-saavy), you can pass upcoming early tastings off to them. This allows the establishment of a tasting culture.
The table is set, white tablecloth preferred. Glasses, a plate, the handouts, and a pen have been laid out. Snacks are on the table. Spill buckets are available.
Recently, we have been serving the first item as a standalone drink as people arrive. It is normally a simpler drink, and serves to warm everyone up. Although not formal, I like the idea.
The drinks are served in groups, as appropriate. The bottles are passed around, and each person can pour their own.
We talk about the wine. And politics. Community. Children. Wine. Other things. Wine. People offer their comments. Not everyone will taste the same things or even like the same wines. That's the fun!
The snacks will vary with the tasting. Some people prefer just serving bread and cheese. OThers add in fruit, olives, vegetables. If the wines are highly regional, some will cook regional dishes to accompany the wine. I leave it up to the host. I also don't each much dinner before a tasting, there is always more than enough to eat!
Communication is necessary to keeping the tasting group running. I recommend setting up a Google Groups email list. Personal address lists never work well -- people change addresses, people mis-type addresses, and information gets lost. A single list with a single list-manager will keep things running.
Publish your schedule far in advance. After each tasting, re-publish, emphasizing the next two or three tastings.
If you have the wherewithal, set up a web site. I can make the core of this site (web pages, css, php, etc.) available as a base if you so choose. If you use it, please credit us in the Credits section and link to us (we'll link back!). As you can see, this site keeps track of our schedule and a history of our tastings.
Different members have different style. Some prefer simpler tastings. Some more complex. Some beer, some liquor, some wine. Some simpler foods, some almost-full-blown-meals.
The purpose is to have fun with friends. Some express their care through extensive wine research and background information presentation, others through cooking to explore the food-with-drink experience.
If things start getting too astray, you might have to talk to people individually. Alternatively, if enough people keep the tastings fairly simple, it will serve to keep the group grounded.
There's always that concern. We mention this at the first meeting, and, being adults, we manage our drinking carefully.
With small pours (an ounce or so), you really aren't drinking more than two full glasses of wine over a 2 1/2 hour (or so) period. Half of the pours are probably ending up in the spill bucket, but we often get small refills of the drinks we enjoy. Still, we are not drinking a lot, especially with reminders that the early tastes impact our ability to taste the later wines, and the later ones tend to be better.
Still, we remain aware. I don't think I've ever seen a driver leave in any state less than cold sober. We car-pool when we need to drive to tastings. And walk to local ones.
Remain aware.