Ideas to Host Your Own DIY Wine Event
Hi, I’m Naomi, a good friend of the Travelling Corkscrew and fellow enjoyer of all wines.
I have been teasing the Travelling Corkscrew that I would contribute to the blog and until now, I just hadn’t got around to it. However, it was after a recent wine and food night with friends and a discussion with the Travelling Corkscrew about a DIY high tea party that I became inspired.
I begun thinking about all the nights (and there have been quite a few!) I have spent drinking at home with friends or at friends homes and how we have consumed or themed our days or nights together. I love a good get together and if I can spin it in a way to get friends and family excited to join me, then its got to be a good thing!
So here are a few of my suggestions to host your own DIY wine day or night.
Host a wine and food pairing night from around the world
I recently attended a Spanish themed wine and food night hosted by a couple and attended by about 10 friends. The host made a range of Spanish dishes including an entrée, mains and even dessert and invited guests to bring along a bottle of wine to share which was produced in Spain.
I took along three bottles as I couldn’t decide on only one bottle of wine. These included a bottle of Segura Viudas Heredad Reserva Brut Cava, a bottle of Albarino Pazo Barraantes and a bottle of Marques de Murrieta Reserva Tempranillo Blend. As there were about 10 of us, there was plenty of wine to shared and new varieties to try.
Everyone appeared to really enjoy themselves and the next event was already in planning come the end of the night which is looking likely to be an Italian theme.
Host a high tea
The Travelling Corkscrew and I have been talking of attending a high tea together for some time, however as we both enjoy our wine, the thought of having to stop drinking after two or so hours isn’t really our cup of tea. So we started talking about hosting our very own high tea.
There are so many benefits to hosting your own high tea including:
- You can choose your choice of drink – be it champagne, sparkling wine or another variety, you choose what you like to drink, or if you would like to be adventurous and try something different.
- Keep to your budget – Spend as much or as little as you like.
- Decorations – If you’re saving on the cost of wine and food, why not look to create a theme and decorate.
- Choose the food you like – I don’t have such a sweet tooth, so I’ll be buying more cheese and crackers.
Host a DIY wine making project event
Do you have a Mr. Spittoon in your life? Luckily for the Travelling Corkscrew, Mr Spittoon has up-cycled a number of wine items, some easier than others. The Travelling Corkscrew even created her own Christmas Wreath!
Personally I’m not too crafty, however after a little bit of research, the following seem easy enough, even for me to make. All you need is the right craft materials to get you started such as old wine bottles, corks or wine caps.
Some suggestions of wine inspired craft ideas include:
- Cork coasters
- Wine bottle lighting
- Wine bottle signs – use chalk paint or wine glass pens to decorate
- Flower vases
- Cork magnets that contain cactuses inside
- Cork bath mat
I highly recommend checking out Pinterest for many wine craft ideas.
Host a Wine Inspired Quiz Night
Do you want to improve your knowledge about wine and test others at the same time? Then why not host a quiz night at home?
If you’re not too confident about your wine knowledge or the type of questions to ask, then why not tailor the quiz questions to reference wine within songs, movies or test your wine geography skills.
Still not sure where to get started? Then test your knowledge with this question:
Which wine takes its name from the unpolluted waters of the river beside which it grows?
If you think you know the answer, comment below. The first to comment and get it right will win epic bragging rights 😉
Wine cocktail night
A wine cocktail night is another great way to experiment with wine and your favourite flavours. Frose is again expected to be a big hit in 2018 and with the popularity of Prosecco getting bigger and bigger, Mimosas are a great wine cocktail to add to the menu.
There are so many websites that offer suggestions for fantastic wine cocktails, or why not buy a bunch of different ingredients and invite your guests to experiment or to show off their expertise?
Another option is to invite your guests to bring the ingredients to make their ‘special’ cocktail. At the end of the night you can all vote for your favourite and award a prize, or perhaps the winner must host the next cocktail night.
Cheese and wine tasting
There is just something about a cheese and wine combination that whets my appetite! I love a good cheese board, matched with meats, olives, crackers and dip. I’m getting hungry just writing this!
If you’re budget conscious, why not invite guests to bring a cheese and a bottle of wine each to make up the platter.
I have recently noticed that my local IGA has tasting notes for unfamiliar cheeses, which takes the guesswork out of what you’re buying, while some Coles stores now offer cheese and wine matchings.
Alternatively, there are many cheese specialty stores in Perth such as The Little Cheese Shop in Bayswater and The Cheese Barrel in the Swan Valley (who are conveniently next door to Olive Farm wines).
If you have the budget but no time, why not contact one of the many grazing table companies based in Perth. They can provide tables, chairs, cushions and platters to share. Check out Instagram for some inspo.
Host a Wine Wednesday night
Do you follow the Travelling Corkscrew on a Wednesday night? If you do, you would have noticed that she does a shout out every Wednesday to see what you’re drinking on Facebook. Why not enjoy the fun and host your own Wine Wednesday and do a shoutout back to the Travelling Corkscrew?
Host your own global wine drinking day or night
Have you seen the recently updated Wine calendar for 2018?
With days like “Global Drink Wine Day”, “National Rose Day” and “Champagne Day”, you have many excuses to get friends around to try a tipple or two.
The best part is, there are so many different wine days that you now have the perfect excuse to try a new wine variety or to pull out an old favourite.
At the end of the day, you don’t need to go to all the effort listed above. Inviting a few friends or family around to share in some wine is a great idea in itself.
Wine is meant to be enjoyed and since we’re talking about, I think I might just do that right now.
Exactly!! Have fun st your next wine party Sarah 🙂
Fun ideas! I do a few of these annually with friends. Wine cocktails is one I haven’t really done – sort of have been avoiding that. But, the idea if intriguing, a new challenge if you will.
I can’t wait to read the post Robin, great idea!
Everyone sure does Allison!
So many options! I’m working on my Girl Scout Cookie and wine pairing party now! Thanks for the inspiration! And I love the idea of broadening the party, catching up with other wine folks via Social Media!
Everyone needs a friend like Naomi! Thanks for the great ideas!
My taste my wine should be all sparkling whites fruity dry Reisling pairing good cheese n fresh strawberries with a house champagne Joseph perrier NV to enlighten my spirits with goose liver pate n a nice garlic bread n German Roesti I will non stop till my last course is drilled with sweet dish crepes suzzette