A wine party is a great way to experience new and unfamiliar wines with intimate friends in the comfort of your home.  The tasting allows you and your friend to not only have a chance to catch up in conversation but also the chance to learn and educate yourselves on new and different wines as well.  Choose on three different wines to feature at your party.

Sparkling Wine

The first one to try and start off with is a Sparkling wine, these are a great beginning.  Three great one that could be opened and tried are : Proseco, which is a sparkling wine grown  in the Veneto region of Italy.  It is a less expensive substitute for champagne.  The second one is a White or Rose sparkling wine, any kind can suffice.  The third is Champagne, our favorite choice, which is cultivated in the Champagne region of France.
For more,
Riesling

Riesling is an aromatic white grape variety originated in Germany displaying its flowery and perfume-like aroma.  It is used to make dry and sweet sparkling white wines.  Three different Rieslings that can be served are: Austarlian Riesling, New Zealand Riesling, and Alsace Riesling.

Italian Reds

To narrow a decision in a specific region in Italy is quite difficult to do, the best option would be to choose your most favorite of Reds.  For example, A Chianti, found in the central part of Italy, is made from the Sangiovese grape, with small amounts of other grapes.  A Barolo would be the next choice, this wine is found in Northern Italy, it is made from the Nebbiolo grape.

Quick Tips:

· Include a pre–printed menu at each place setting with wine information and food pairings.

· Have pencils/pens available for guests to jot down wine notes on the backs of their menus.

· Each pour should be two ounces, so plan on one bottle of wine serving approximately ten guests.

· Make sure to use proper stemware for each wine.

· Chill white and sparkling wines in wine buckets.

· Keep guests hydrated with water.  Keep a pitcher of water next to each setting.

· Definitely serve accompaniments on large platters for guests to nibble on.

Image by Steve Giralt

Have you ever attended a wine and cheese party?

Well now you can… reported by The Wall Street Journal, the French government along with a handful of wine and cheese producers, are spending over $2 million to sponsor wine and cheese parties in the United States and around the world, to “show that French cuisine can be relaxed.”

For those of you that would love to host their OWN wine and cheese event slide over to houseparty.com, there having a contest where one thousand winners will get a 15 percent discount on certain French wines and receive a free gift when ordering French cheeses from specified websites. 

The Wall Street Journal also reports that “the winners will also receive a hamper of French-themed party gear, including a corkscrew, an apron and a CD featuring pop singer Carla Bruni, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.”

I think this is a SUPERB idea or should I say Magnifique!

Source