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Host a Tasting: A wine tasting doesn't have to be complicated. Gather a few of your favorite varieties, invite your residents and lay out a delicious spread of complimentary snacks and you're good to go. Let's get started!

Start by deciding which wines you'll feature. One option is to go local and support some of your local wineries-even better if you can have someone from the winery attend your event to give information about each varietal. If that's not up your alley try one of these options:

Option 1 - By Taste: Dry Red, Bold Red, Dry White, Sweet White, Rose and Wild Cards.

Option 2 - By Region: California, France, New Zealand, Brazil, Italian, etc.

How much wine you'll need will be determined by how many guests you expect to attend. A good general rule is 1 bottle for every three guests. If you're concerned about under or overbuying, add an RSVP to your event invitation and shop after you take a head count.

Serious wine connoisseurs may object to food at a tasting, but keep your event casual and fun and provide snacks to compliment your selections. And let's be honest: wine and empty stomachs are a bad combination. Light appetizers such as breads, dips, fruits and veggies, cheese and nuts go well with wines of many varieties. Fresh fruits go well with a dry white wine. You could even spring for some fancy dark chocolates if you're serving a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Petit Syrah.

Gather your supplies. Obviously you're going to need the wine, other than that we recommend:

Corkscrews and a wine opener/foil cutter
An ice bucket if you're serving white wine or rose
Tablecloth (try butcher paper for an easy tablecloth you can write on), napkins, plates, cutlery, wine glasses
Music played at a low level so residents can chat. (If you usePandora, check out a station called Hipster Cocktail Party for a mix of upbeat yet mellow tunes everyone will like.)
A tasting grid can help your guests identify the flavors of the wine and jot down their impressions
An aerator or decanter for the wine to help bring out the flavors in red wine
Bread or crackers to taste in between wines
Cups of ice water for your guests as well as a pitcher of water for the table
Bottle stoppers for any leftover bottles (or send your leftovers home with residents- they won't say no!)

Last, but not least, have fun! In general, it's best to start from lightest to darkest when tasting wines. But you don't have to follow any rules.

The goal of your event should be for your residents to mix and mingle and maybe even leave with a new favorite wine to look for.

Download your cheat sheet now and get started planning your next wine event!

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I want designs, resources and initiatives like these!

National Wine Day is May 25. It's not too late to order an eye-catching design and gather your residents for a wine tasting! Take a look at some of our favorites here!

🌱 Members: search HERE for all of our customizable wine designs!

The Sprout Membership makes wine events easy breezy. Members were able to download all of these event resources earlier this year.

Wishing we’d been in Houston for this Wine Down event put together by our Sprout members at Heights West 11th! Can you ever go wrong with wine and cheese? Heights West 11th knows what's up!

It may start with an ad agency quality design, but it's the team that makes the event!