I Want To Volunteer to Host a Meeting or Host a Wine Presentation

Excellent! Email our Chairperson here to volunteer (AWS National members only are permitted to house-host, due to insurance purposes!) No Ideas? Never hosted before? Just ask, we'll be glad to help. See what's open on the schedule (see Tasting Schedule on the Home Page) make sure you have time to prepare. Consider how many people you are limited to, and any parking considerations in advance. Send directions, a sketch of a map to your house, phone number etc. to our Chairperson well in advance, so it can get published and distributed Meetings are held at a member's home, and another (usually) will present a flight of wines for education and enjoyment. Glasses, water carafes, buckets, badges, blank forms, pens, etc. (glassware) will need to be procured and cleaned from the previous meeting's host(s), and you should count on having to prepare or arrange for their delivery to the next host. Most attendants will bring a dish of something, and/or bottle of other wine to serve, enjoy, explore, and compare with different foods and wine left over, and discuss or just socialize after the presentation session. • The meeting starts at 2 P.M. and should close by 5 or 6 P.M. • Meetings should be fun, but are NOT parties!

House Hosting

See Wine & House Host Guidelines on our Documents page. Print them out, if you like. Can't print them yourself? Email me with your address and I'll mail you the forms you want via Post or fax, if you like. IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST HOUSE HOSTING keep these things in mind: New house hosts often draw a larger than usual turnout, as we are all eager to see your new venue - so be prepared: • Set a limit for the number of guests well in advance and make sure the Chairperson knows as soon as possible. • Make sure the Chairperson has the correct phone number well in advance to tell members to RSVP. • Keep a list of those RSVPing, and apologetically deny latecomers, once your dance card is filled. • Consider driving directions and parking arrangements: Neighborhood covenants, mud, narrow streets, long walks, steep hills, irate neighbors, etc. Just let the chairperson know in advance, and attendees will cope.

Hosting a Wine Presentation

(See The AWS Manual and Wine & House Host Guidelines in our Documents page)

Tasting Guidelines -

It is the Wine Host’s responsibility to provide an educational presentation of wines at a predetermined venue. The wine host obtains and delivers the wines to the meeting venue, typically 30 minutes before it begins. The first wine served, a “Warm-up” or “Starter” wine, does not need to adhere to the main presentation, but should be a light (it can be red,) easy wine. The intent is to cleanse the members’ palates while members gather, prepare and socialize. The presentation should have 5-7 wines, served to the members by stewards. Start with an idea on what you think would be an educational wine tasting event: a common theme; contrast/compare; vertical flight of a wine type over several years, a country, region, or style or even a whimsical theme. You may present it yourself, or perhaps introduce a guest speaker. Work with your local wine stores. Their wine managers are eager to help, and some offer special pricing, allow unused bottles to be returned, and have lots of other suggestions to help. Typically a light starter wine is used to get acquainted and settled, which may or may not be relative to the presentation - you should obtain a bit more of this, as it is self-served as the attendees convene. Cost of wines is to be watched carefully, as $15 or less per person is expected - if you will exceed this, tell the Chairperson early enough to alert members in advance. Count all your bottles, get all your receipts, and officers will handle the numbers. Unopened wine will save everyone money, and you can often return what isn't used back to the store for refund, or bring it to supplement another meeting. Keep in mind: OPEN BOTTLES MUST BE SEALED IN SOME WAY TO BE TRANSPORTED. The sequence of wines is usually light to heavy, pale to dark and dry to sweet, or something along that order (light wines don't show well after strong ones.) Tasting/scoring forms will also be needed, and can be blank, but it helps if they are printed out in advance with the wines in the order of their presentation. You can download them from the DOCUMENTS page - The AWS Evaluation Scoring Sheet is ready for printing as many as you need. For an elegant touch, enter the wines in the order of presentation into the PDF or Word forms prior to printing. Or just print one and have Staples or Kinkos make two-sided copies for pennies each. Got an idea for a tasting theme that you'd like to see, but can't host it yourself? Send your idea in here, we can pass it on to other hosts for possible future tastings. Good Luck, and have fun!