Wine Party Code: Accessories, Budget & Just Desserts!
It's that time of the year when you want to make every waking hour special, every meal an occasion, every party "rockin'" and every day the last of day of... well, the year 2010! And there's nothing like making an impression with wine, especially if you throw a wine-themed party that leaves everyone with a "oh la la"!
Here's all you need to stock up your wine arsenal:
Wine accessories
Picking the right wine accessories is as important as picking the right wine. If you serve a light-bodied Chardonnay in a dark, opaque glass, your guest would neither be able to identify nor drink in the nuances of this easy-on-the-palate white wine.
Your wine arsenal will not be complete without the following: 1) wine glasses, 2) cork screw, 3) wine/ice bucket, 4) decanter and if budget permits, 5) wine cooler
1) Wine Glasses: Most hosts fail at stage one of throwing a wine-themed soiree - choosing the wine glasses! Wine educator and advisor Sonal Holland says to just go with the basic principle of serving wine in a clear, stemmed glass. "A bordeaux glass which is tall with a broad bowl is suitable for both red and white wine," she adds.
If you want to go extravagant with wine's chic cousin champagne, then Thomas Lignier, Brand Development Manager, Champagnes G.H. MUMM says, "Go with the 'flûte' (characterised by a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top). The champagne flute is the perfect glass to enjoy this bubbly in all it's glory. It keeps the wine fresh, lets you enjoy better the nice bubbles, and you can smell the floral and fruity aromas too."
2) Cork Screw: New-age wine bottles come with screw caps that can be easily unscrewed. But for old world wines or those that still sport the charm of corks, it is essential to have a cork screw to open it with ease.
3) Wine or ice bucket: Next comes the wine or ice bucket which will keep the wine chilled or at just the right temperature. Sonal suggests that you add water to the ice so that the wine cools uniformly. Thomas couldn't agree more and says that for champagne it is ideal to have "an ice-bucket full of ice and water to keep a bottled chilled between 8 and 10°C".
4) Decanter: A decanter is usually a glass bottle used to decant liquors, especially wine. In non-oenophile language, decanting means to aerate your wine or just letting it breathe. Usually trapped in the bottle for a long time, wines tend to open out and exhibit their true aroma and taste smoother when decanted for 20 minutes prior to serving.
5) Wine cooler: A wine cooler maybe an expensive proposition but if you are a budding connoisseur, then investing in one is imperative. Why? Well, simply because: a) with your wine collection increasing in size and variety, you'd need to store different wines at different temperatures, b) mould tends to form within the wine if you stick your bottle in the fridge for long and leave it next to foods that can ferment like dairy products (cheese, milk) and vegetables, changing the taste altogether. So, wine coolers allow you to store your wine at a stable temperature and give you more control than your fridge ever would.
Lastly, don't forget to have a linen cloth handy to wipe the bottle once it's taken out of the ice bucket, so that it won't slip out of your hand and prevent wine from dripping onto your clothes, says Sonal.
Budgeting for your party
So you want to impress but not break the bank while you are at it! Fear not. The easiest way to do it would be to throw a wine-tasting party and let each guest bring in a bottle of wine (set a cap for the amount spent on each bottle), so that you are still the hostess with the mostess. But if you want to show off your prowess, then pick inexpensive wines that have good aroma, flavour and body.
Sonal says, "For a formal dinner with a smaller set of people, don't go for entry-level wines; opt for good quality, single estate wines. For a bigger party, you may have budget constraints and may not neccesarily be able to budget Rs. 3000 for a bottle, so opt for good entry-level wines." The guests wouldn't care as much about how much you spent on the wine as about how well you paired it with the food. So, match the flavour of the food with the wine.
Desserts and wine
Want your happy ending? Then don't forget dessert... or dessert wine in this case! :) Yes, there is such a thing as dessert wine... They are typically sweet wines served with dessert. And yes, you can serve this kind of wine as "dessert" too sans the sweets.
Here's all you need to stock up your wine arsenal:
Wine accessories
Picking the right wine accessories is as important as picking the right wine. If you serve a light-bodied Chardonnay in a dark, opaque glass, your guest would neither be able to identify nor drink in the nuances of this easy-on-the-palate white wine.
Your wine arsenal will not be complete without the following: 1) wine glasses, 2) cork screw, 3) wine/ice bucket, 4) decanter and if budget permits, 5) wine cooler
1) Wine Glasses: Most hosts fail at stage one of throwing a wine-themed soiree - choosing the wine glasses! Wine educator and advisor Sonal Holland says to just go with the basic principle of serving wine in a clear, stemmed glass. "A bordeaux glass which is tall with a broad bowl is suitable for both red and white wine," she adds.
If you want to go extravagant with wine's chic cousin champagne, then Thomas Lignier, Brand Development Manager, Champagnes G.H. MUMM says, "Go with the 'flûte' (characterised by a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top). The champagne flute is the perfect glass to enjoy this bubbly in all it's glory. It keeps the wine fresh, lets you enjoy better the nice bubbles, and you can smell the floral and fruity aromas too."
2) Cork Screw: New-age wine bottles come with screw caps that can be easily unscrewed. But for old world wines or those that still sport the charm of corks, it is essential to have a cork screw to open it with ease.
3) Wine or ice bucket: Next comes the wine or ice bucket which will keep the wine chilled or at just the right temperature. Sonal suggests that you add water to the ice so that the wine cools uniformly. Thomas couldn't agree more and says that for champagne it is ideal to have "an ice-bucket full of ice and water to keep a bottled chilled between 8 and 10°C".
4) Decanter: A decanter is usually a glass bottle used to decant liquors, especially wine. In non-oenophile language, decanting means to aerate your wine or just letting it breathe. Usually trapped in the bottle for a long time, wines tend to open out and exhibit their true aroma and taste smoother when decanted for 20 minutes prior to serving.
5) Wine cooler: A wine cooler maybe an expensive proposition but if you are a budding connoisseur, then investing in one is imperative. Why? Well, simply because: a) with your wine collection increasing in size and variety, you'd need to store different wines at different temperatures, b) mould tends to form within the wine if you stick your bottle in the fridge for long and leave it next to foods that can ferment like dairy products (cheese, milk) and vegetables, changing the taste altogether. So, wine coolers allow you to store your wine at a stable temperature and give you more control than your fridge ever would.
Lastly, don't forget to have a linen cloth handy to wipe the bottle once it's taken out of the ice bucket, so that it won't slip out of your hand and prevent wine from dripping onto your clothes, says Sonal.
Budgeting for your party
So you want to impress but not break the bank while you are at it! Fear not. The easiest way to do it would be to throw a wine-tasting party and let each guest bring in a bottle of wine (set a cap for the amount spent on each bottle), so that you are still the hostess with the mostess. But if you want to show off your prowess, then pick inexpensive wines that have good aroma, flavour and body.
Sonal says, "For a formal dinner with a smaller set of people, don't go for entry-level wines; opt for good quality, single estate wines. For a bigger party, you may have budget constraints and may not neccesarily be able to budget Rs. 3000 for a bottle, so opt for good entry-level wines." The guests wouldn't care as much about how much you spent on the wine as about how well you paired it with the food. So, match the flavour of the food with the wine.
Desserts and wine
Want your happy ending? Then don't forget dessert... or dessert wine in this case! :) Yes, there is such a thing as dessert wine... They are typically sweet wines served with dessert. And yes, you can serve this kind of wine as "dessert" too sans the sweets.
But if you do want to pair a dessert with wine, choose a dessert wine which would be sweeter than the dessert you are serving.
Here are recos on sweet wines to match with Indian Desserts
Here are recos on sweet wines to match with Indian Desserts
- Spanish Pedro Ximenez (PX) Sherry with Gulab Jamun
- French Sauternes with Gajar Halwa
- German Trockenbeerenauslese with Rice Pudding / Kheer or Shahi Tukda
- Austrian or Canadian Ice Wine with Jalebis
- Australian Liqueur Muscat - Gujja with Khoya filling
- 10 year old Tawny Port with steamed Modak or Karanji
So now that you know more than a thing or two about wine parties, how about hosting one?
