Amidst your (green) wedding planning, have you found yourself extra stressed, lacking time, and in need of more time for R&R? You're not alone. So on first pass, I realize that you might think that the last thing you need is to start a wine tasting group. But wine tasting groups offer a great, casual environment to catch up with girlfriends or other couples old and new while peppering the evening with a bit of education. Monthly events are totally doable, bi-monthly are aokay; any more frequent seemed unlikely and less frequent didn't seem to have the same degree of moment/consistency

If you're sold, then the top 10 tips for conducting your wine tasting group are as follows:

-Set the date and location one month in advance; book people for 90 minutes so they think they can squeeze it into their schedule; they'll end up staying 2-3 hours. Guaranteed.

-Pick a theme. Whether it's "Bordeaux Basics," "A Study in Syrah" (tasting Syrah, also known as Shiraz, from around the world), a comparison of Napa Valley and French Chardonnays, or any other theme, a theme helps organize the learning. (You can also totally outsource the decision making/planning and simply sign up for the Jetsetters wine club by Bottlenotes and receive your wine tasting kit for 10 in a box each month. www.bottlenotes.com/jetsetters)

-Invite your 10-12 favorite wine tasting companions, or 5-6 favorite couples.

-Delegate the wine selection (whether outsourced to Bottlenotes.com, your favorite buyer at your local wine shop, your best friend who's training for her Master Sommelier exam, etc.) to one group member. 6 wines seem to be the max number a small group can enjoy when tasting casually over 2 hours.

-Delegate the relevant cheese/appetizers to two-three other attendees. Encourage them to pick cheeses/appetizers of the chosen theme.

-Decide if you would like a cultural component for the evening (aka: book or article to discuss) and if so, delegate yet another "cultural curator" for the evening. Again, this is truly optional in my mind; the wine alone can provide ample topic for discussion.

-Be prepared with at least 1 wine glass per person, ideally 2 for side by side comparison purposes

-Pick your favorite album to play in the background so the music is consistent throughout the evening;

-Ask people to rate the wines as they taste them on a five-star scale, so you can have an active conversation about the merits of each wine, and

-Be sure to have spittoons (dark vases often do) and plenty of water available so people stay hydrated.

By and large, our recommendation is to plan on a half-bottle, or 2.5 glasses, per person per tasting. There are roughly 20 one-ounce pours, or 10 2-ounce pours, per bottle. So 6 bottles should cover a 10 person group with ease.

Wine tasting groups are the perfect excuse to stay connected to girlfriends- and/or your favorite couples- during the wedding planning process.

Cheers!

Written By Alyssa J. Rapp, founder and CEO of Bottlenotes.com

Bottlenotes.com is the premier online wine community where wine enthusiasts come to learn about wine, share tasting notes and buy wine. Rapp is also the author of Bottlenotes Guide to Wine: Around the World in 80 Sips.