Wine Pairing Parties

Pairing wine with food seems such a esoteric, daunting and above all personal skill to master. Not feeling able to do this alone, I have decided to put a team on to this task. Couple this with my desire to give frequent parties, but not having the resources to fund them in the manner or frequency I would like to have them, and you have the "wine pairing party" solution. My friends and I each choose our favorite bottle of wine or appetizer that we would like to bring to the party. We individually research the appropriate pairing to go with that choice. After meeting at an appointed time, we lay out our food and wine and determine an order to the tasting. I will not give an order because I am not an expert, but I believe the rule of thumb is light to full bodied. Then we proceed to enjoy the wine by itself, the food by itself and then taste them together. The beauty of this party is that you get to try lots of wines and appetizers, experiment with what tastes good with what, and there is no need for planing or RSPVs because the amount of food and wine is determined by how many show up. The end cost is very reasonable. As you may or may not know, I adore the Ormond Wine Co. I went in there before my last party to get wine and suggestions for my appetizer; it was then that I was told that they had over 250 bottles of wine for under twenty five dollars. I was able to get a very nice bottle of wine and make a substantial appetizer all for under the cost of a meal out. If you enjoy wine, I highly recommend trying this with your friends. I am keeping a journal of the best food and wine pairs of each party. As of right now we have had two. The first 'winner' was a pairing of a Riesling and mini apple tarts. The second was a blended wine called Sunshine with a pear and blue cheese salad with walnuts. Much to my embarrassment as host neither of these were mine. Oh well I guess we'll just have to have more.