Last month, I wrote about some great wines to take to a party. But what if you are hosting a party? What wines will please your guests and be budget-friendly? The wine tips from last month apply here, too. Bubbles make a party, so make sure to have some Prosecco, Cava, or Cremant. An interesting white and red from a lesser known region will give both you and your guests a chance to discover something new. And a dry, aromatic rosé will make the party memorable for both white and red wine drinkers.
Photo credit Peter AC Newbury
Pssst! Insider tip: Many people are still ‘afraid’ of rosé because they are haunted by memories of the low-quality, sweet rosés of the past. When I introduce them to dry rosé, they are wowed. So, to score points for wine knowledge, serve a dry rosé at your party and watch your friends fall in love.
But parties often bring up other conundrums. One of the most sensitive issues is what to do with the bottles guests bring. What if they do not match the food? Or, better yet, what if it’s wine that you do not care for? Do you open the bottle? Or do you put it aside thinking you’ll cook with it or re-gift it? The answer is simple: unless the guest says the wine is a gift for you to enjoy later, open it!
I don’t have many ‘rules’ about wine, but here are two:
- Never cook with a wine you don’t like.
- Never re-gift wine!
Cooking with wine you don’t like makes no sense: if you don’t like to drink the wine, you will like it even less when its flavor is concentrated by cooking it down.
And never re-gift a wine: if it’s a wine you don’t care for, don’t make it a gift to someone else.
So, when your guests bring wine, open the bottle and enjoy it together. If you like it, great! What better way to show appreciation for the gift? If it’s a wine you do not care for, open the bottle anyway. Someone in the room (possibly the person who brought the wine) may like it. And that saves you from having to re-gift wine you don’t like. After all, you never know when it might come back to you.
If you are interested in learning more about French wine, join me for this Thursday's wine class at The Chopping Block Lincoln Square: Making Sense of French Wine. There are just three spots left!
