Even the most informal winetasting is best organized around a theme.
Here are some suggestions:
"Shades of White"
White wines are a comfort zone for many of us. From that ease, we can explore the category’s various styles. Taste – side by side – two contrasting Rieslings, or a Pinot Gris and a Pinot Grigio. Experience the influence of oak by tasting contrasting wines made with and without oak barrels. Treat yourself, and your guests, by adding a Niagara Icewine.
Grape variety, climate, and winemaking technique produce a wide range of red wine styles. These are distinguished by elements like fruit, tannin and earthiness. Exploring a variety of contrasting wines is a way towards understanding what flavours you enjoy, and from there, being able to find wines in styles which suit your tastes. Finally, consider adding something unique to Ontario: a red icewine.
"Sweet Wines"
Diversity is this category’s greatest wonder, and also its greatest challenge. Most of are reluctant to purchase an entire, unfamiliar, bottle. Please do not allow this to keep you from experiencing the contrasting eccentricities of sweet wines. Seize for yourself, and your guests, the opportunity to sample a range of these wines.
"All About Oak"
Learn about the role of oak barrels in winemaking. Compare two Ontario Chardonnays -- one made in stainless steel, the other fermented and aged in oak. Make the same comparison between a similar pair of red wines. Taste the influence in oak in aged Tawny Port.
"History and Stories"
Every wine has a history. These histories are are decorated with stories -- some true, others fanciful -- every bit as entertaining as their flavours. Taste a handful of wines (such as Madeira, Retsina, Champagne, Bull's Blood, Baco Noir), and enjoy their stories.
"What's in a price?"
Why does one bottle of wine sell $10, while another 2, 3 or 10 times as much? Let your nose and palate decide if "premium" wines can justify themselves. Taste an inexpensive wine next to a cousin from the premium shelves. I suggest a tasting built of two pairs -- one white, one red.
"Taste Sensations"
The key to food & wine matching is hidden in two sensational matters: (a) the way our tastebuds react to the basic tastes (sweet, sour, etc), and (b) the way these basic tastes interact. What does a little sweetness do to bitterness?... a little acidity to sweetness? Let me -- with the help of 4-5 wines, and an assortment of taste-intense food -- take you through a lighthearted lesson in the workings of Taste.
"Tour de France"
"It is not easy to govern a country that has 246 different types of cheese". (Gen. Charles de Gualle)
French wine -- no less diverse -- is the foundation for much of the modern wine world. Almost all vinous roots (Califorian Cabernet Sauvignon, Australian Shiraz, Argentine Malbec, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and so on) run back to France. Pull up a chair and enjoy a simplified (but still wonderful) tour de France... through 4-5 of its iconic wines.