My husband just loves hosting parties at home and it was his idea to have a wine tasting party at home this weekend. We sat together to decide on the wines and what appetizers to serve while wine-tasting as the guests were sure to develop an appetite during the course of the party. I figured that my part of the job was easy as for the wine tasting party I was advised to stick to simple appetizers that would not take the focus away from the wine but only help in washing the taste palate.        

We decided that to make our party a success we had to make sure that the appetizers served, though simple, had to be innovative and tempting. But first we had to set some ground rules on pairing the right wine with the right appetizer. When serving white wine serve  light appetizers such as shrimps or tapenade, while full bodied red wines can be paired with heavier appetizers like meats (sausage stuffed mushrooms!) and chilies. When serving Desert wines, serve some sweet deserts or any appetizer with a strong flavor so that the sweet taste of the drink is neutralized. Fresh fruits and fresh foods like bread and cheese brings out the best in all kinds of wine. If you are serving an assortment of wines serve a selection of appetizers.

As we were planning to use an assortment of wines we jotted down a lengthy list of possible appetizers we could serve during the wine-tasting party. I am sure this list will help you too when you decide to host your wine tasting party:

1. Bread or Crackers:  Bread or crackers are the most sensible and inevitable options as they are perfect for washing the palate at a wine tasting party. You can serve sliced French baguettes and alternate this with cracker. You can leave them on a table where the guest have continuous access and even combine the breads with cheese. Choose plain breads and not flavored or sweet ones.

1. Bruschetta :  An Italian bread appetizer that consists of toasted bread slices topped with chopped tomatoes, shallots, cheese, garlic, and drizzled with olive oil. You can change the topping according to your requirement. You can serve bruschetta with white wine and if you want to serve the same with red wine just change your topping to include some heavy ingredients like boiled spicy sausages, bacon, prosciutto or sautéed mushrooms.
2. Cheese: How can one forget cheese! Cheese and wine is simply inseparable and a cheese plate, which has an assortment of cheeses are the best and easiest appetizer to serve at a wine tasting. You can leave this on the table or serve it but be sure to keep serving forks or knives available. Serve spreadable cheese with bread, brie or cracker. Stay away from strong and stinky cheeses which might just scare your guests away with its very odor and at the same time disable their ability to focus on the distinctive aroma of the wine. Again, try to choose mild flavored cheeses with lighter wines and richer cheeses with full-flavored wines.  One of the lovely cheese appetizers I served for my wine tasting party was blue cheese and truffle honey cups. It simply has a cocktail pastry cup filled with crumbled salty blue cheese such as gorgonzola or Roquefort which is lightly coated with white truffle honey. They are the perfect pair for full bodied white wines and sweet white wines. Don’t overdo the honey bit.
3. Sliced Cured Sausages and Meats: Dried sausages and meat are perfect with red wine. French saucisson sec, Italian salami, Pâté, terrines, Prosciutto are just a few meat appetizers you can serve.
4. Nuts and Dried Fruit: You can serve dried nuts and dried fruit slices alongside olives or a cheese plate. As the nuts are neutral flavored you don’t have to worry about them interfering with the taste of the wine but when it comes to fruits, pick fruits that are not too sweet. Spanish Marcona almonds, walnuts or dried apricot slices are all good choices.
5. Olives: Olives go wonderfully well with wines.

• Cured olives are a favorite appetizer and they are available in most supermarkets. From the various types of cured olives available, pick up ones that are mild and not too spicy or salty as they might clash with the flavors of the wine. Lucques, Picholines, Niçoise, Maroccan and Greek Kalamata olives are all good options. Serve these yummy olives in a bowl and provide a spare bowl or tray where the guests can discard the pits. 
• Tapanades is a puréed olive dish which consists of black olives, savory, anchovies, garlic and olive oil. You can also serve them as a spread with your bread crusts or crackers. Again don’t make it too salty or spicy.

Chocolates, Smoked Salmon Points,Baked Brie, Shrimp Puffs, Shrimp Ring, baked brie and shrimps are few of the other appetizers you can experiment with. Remember you are always free to get creative and prepare your own appetizers provided they go well with the wines.

TIPS

Plan in advance and fix a theme if required. Like wines from a particular region, local wines or only international ones.

Keep a mixture of appetizers and use the bland appetizers for the actual wine tasting part of your party and bring the other fancy appetizers in between. Serve the right appetizers with the right wines.  

Provide fresh and cool water so that people can hydrate themselves.

Also keep a receptacle ready just in case there are guests who prefer to taste but not swallow the wine and want to spit out the tasted wine.

Image Credit

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