Drink Wine Day - February 18, 2020

In celebration of Drink Wine Day, why not host an impromptu wine tasting?

At-home wine tastings don’t have to be over the top. Choose a theme, gather the wine and select some yummy food items from the kitchen.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

How much wine?
For a tasting, pour 4-5 ounces into each glass. You can get 5-6 glasses of wine from a regular 750mL bottle.

Too chill or not to chill?
Temperature, as with most components of enjoying wine, can be subjective. Enjoy wine how you prefer it. That being said, we recommend the following temperatures for serving wine: 

• Sparkling wines are best served at 45 degrees Fahrenheit 
• White wines and rosés are best served at 55 degrees Fahrenheit 
• Red wines are best served at 65 degrees Fahrenheit

Which wines and how many styles should I serve my guests?
Everyone’s taste is different. Luckily, there is a Missouri wine for every palate! It’s quite difficult to please everyone, but you can get pretty close by covering these four bases: a dry red, dry white, semi-dry white and a sweet red or blush. A couple of options for a good mix are:

• Chambourcin, Chardonel, Vignoles, Concord
• Norton, Vidal Blanc, Traminette, Catawba

Click here to see the 2019 Missouri Wine Competition winners.

What else might I need?
Don’t forget a corkscrew, dump bucket and water pitcher.

In what order should I serve the wine?
For the same reason you have salad and steak before cheesecake, dry wines should be tasted before sweet so that the sugar of a sweet wine does not impinge on the taste of a dry wine. Also remember, white wines before red.

Is there a right way to taste wine?
Discover the 5S method to wine tasting.

What kind of food should I prepare for the tasting?
Take a look at our food and wine pairing guide to see what combinations appeal to you and your guests.

Need more inspiration? Check out some of our other infographics.

We hope we’ve inspired you to celebrate this day with a tasting. Be sure to keep those corks so that you can always remember Drink Wine Day 2020!

We also invite you to snap a selfie with our Snapchat filter. Keep an eye out for it on Tuesday, February 18.