How To Choose the Best Wine for Your Paint and Sip Party

Paint and sip parties are a great option for everything from date night to team building activities for your work crew. With step-by-step instructions, anyone can create beautiful art. But for you to have a true paint and sip painting class, you need the right glass of wine to go with your painting instruction. This guide will help you choose.

Choose Wines That Evoke the Season of Your Painting

Throughout the year, people tend to drink wines that match the season. Light and crisp wines are popular in the spring and summer, while full-bodied reds are popular in the winter and fall. Pair your choice of vino with a wine painting party that matches the time of year to make it a seasonally appropriate event. Here’s how:

Light, Crisp, and Refreshing Wines for Spring and Summer Paintings

If you're having an art class in the spring or summer, consider pairing it with a bottle of wine that reflects the colors and flavors of the season. If your painting is full of pink hues, for example, consider a rosé wine which will match with its delicate pink tones.

Recommended Wine Types by the Season

For spring and summer painting experiences, consider these wine types:

• Pinot grigio/pinot gris: This simple, light, and crisp wine is popular in summer.
• Sauvignon blanc: The tropical and acidic flavor of this wine is reminiscent of summer vacations.
• Chardonnay: For guests who want something sweet, this white wine would be a good choice.
• Moscato: Another white wine with a sweet flavor that works well for spring and summer painting classes.
• Riesling: Riesling comes from white grapes and can have many different flavors from tart to sweet.

Heavier, Earthier, and Darker Wines for Fall and Winter Paintings

As summer turns into fall, your painting events may start embracing warmer tones, like browns, reds, and oranges. This change makes summer the right time to embrace your favorite red wine. Fruitier wines with a little bit of spice can also match the flavors of the season.

Recommended Wine Types by the Season

If you’re planning a paint night in the fall or winter, consider these options:

• Pinot noir: This wine has a more delicate flavor but a bold red color.
• Zinfandel: This variety comes in many flavors including medium-bodied and full-bodied varieties.
• Cabernet sauvignon: This wine is spicy and has currant flavors in it, which can add quite a bit of flavor to your party.
• Merlot: This wine is both fruity and spicy and tastes like fall.

Choose Wines Based on the Mood of the Painting

If you aren't doing a paint party that is based on a particular season, consider pairing your wine choice with the mood of the painting.

First, consider the color of the wine. Are you painting a fun, whimsical garden gnome or snowman? Then choose a light and crisp wine. A pinot noir or Gamay would work well for this pairing. These light-colored wines have a light-hearted feel to them. Are you painting a moody, dark nighttime scene? Then a rich, bold red wine might work best. Consider a Syrah or cabernet wine.

You can also consider the aroma of the wine. An aromatic wine, like viognier, works well for a bright, colorful painting or a fun paint your pet night. A more subdued wine, like chardonnay, pairs better with a dark or subtle painting choice.

Choose Wines That Go With the Food You're Serving at Your Paint Party

Private parties in an art studio or in your home often come with food. Even a virtual paint party may have a food theme that you communicate with guests before the event. Pairing your wine with the food enhances the meal and helps each ingredient taste its best.

As a general rule, if you’re serving poultry or fish, opt for a white wine. If you’re serving red meat, choose a medium red or bold red wine. For dessert, opt for a sweet white wine or even a sherry or port dessert wine.

Classic Wine and Food Pairings

As you plan your menu, use this quick list of common wine and food pairings:

• Vegetables: A sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio works well.
• Cheese: For soft cheese, choose riesling or chardonnay, and for hard cheese, choose a sweet or sparkling wine.
• Red meat: Pairs well with zinfandel, grenache, and merlot.
• White meat: Pairs well with St. Laurent or pinot noir.
• Dessert: Pairs well with ice wine, sherry, or port.

Pair Famous Locations and Scenery With Regional Wines

If you're hosting a girls' night out and painting a scene from some exotic or regional location, consider pairing the wine with the location. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Van Gogh's Starry Night and Wine from the South of France

Van Gogh hailed from the South of France, so why not pair a Van Gogh-inspired painting with a wine from Southern France? The Starry Night Painting Kit captures one of his most iconic paintings in an easy, DIY painting kit. Chardonnay, Grenache, and cabernet sauvignon are all excellent choices. You will notice that many of these wines have rich grape flavors.

The Bean and Wine Inspired by Chicago

The Bean is an often-photographed sculpture in Chicago, and The Bean Painting Kit lets you transform this iconic structure into a beautiful painting. You can capture the essence of its reflective surfaces with an all-inclusive painting kit for your private event. Illinois and the Chicago area are famous for their dessert wines and vinifera red and white wines, so consider picking up one of these for your event.

The Seattle Skyline and Wine from the Pacific Northwest

The colorful buildings contrast stunningly with the blue of the sea and the mountains in the Seattle Skyline Painting Kit, and this kit pairs beautifully with some Washington-based wines. Washington is famous for its cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Syrah, and chardonnay wines, so choose one from the state and enjoy your painting experience.

Provide a Variety of Wines to Please the Palates of All Your Guests

While perfect pairings are great, you're going to find that your guests have their own unique palates. Even the perfectly paired bottle of wine is going to fall flat if it doesn’t match the tastes of your guests.

Consider buying a variety of wine, including both red and white options, so you can please all of your guests. You can still have one that pairs perfectly with your food or your theme while offering options for people who want something they know and love.

The best way to satisfy all of your guests is to ask them to share their preference in response to your party invites. Also, remember that there are going to be some guests who don't prefer wine or may not want to drink alcohol the entire event. Pick up some beer, mixed drinks, soda, or juice so everyone has a beverage to enjoy.

Pair Your Wines With Painting To Gogh for the Best Paint and Sip Party Experience!

If you have an upcoming event or team-building activity and feel that a paint and sip party would fit well, then choose your favorite wine and pair it with Painting To Gogh paint experiences!

Hosting a painting party with Painting To Gogh is easy because our studio kits have everything you need, including acrylic paint and easels. Every painting class comes with an artist-led video to make the project accessible for everyone. All you need to do is bring your wine and your guests.

Get more information about how to use Painting To Gogh, or simply order your painting kit today.