Grappling with the Grape: Wine Tasting Party

Inspired by wine-tasting whilst on holiday in Southern France, sipping delicious local wines in the sunshine amongst beautiful scenery, I was keen to host my own wine-tasting party. What a perfect way to get everyone in the festive party mood!


Vineyard in Southern France

In homage to my recent travels, I decided on a French theme and to include both red and white wines.  Other possible themes could be a specific colour, grape variety or region. How about trying sparkling wine or port for a festive tasting? After confirming the guest list, I asked each person to bring a bottle – instructing them which colour to bring and from which region of France. This ensured we had a variety for the tasting. I also asked my guests to cover the label before arriving, so that I couldn’t cheat when setting up the bottles!

Next, I carefully wrapped up all the bottles, covering everything including the neck so that no-one could recognise their own. Tissue paper, newspaper or foil all work fine. Make sure you have everything to hand so you can wrap the wines quickly and get back to hosting.

Round 1: The Whites

First up were the white wines! These were served before the reds, since they are lighter and don’t leave a tannin aftertaste.

Each guest had a score card to fill in and was given the challenge of identifying the grape, region and price, before giving the wine marks out of 10. To help guess the grape, I provided a list of the varieties with a couple of words on how they taste (fruity, honey, oak etc.). To my surprise, this guide worked really well and helped lots of people to guess correctly! I had also added 2 ‘wild cards’ from different countries and asked people to try and spot them.

Bottles at the ready!

Using my (very) basic knowledge, I showed my guests how to identify the wine by its appearance, aroma and taste. Cue lots of very silly fish faces as we all had a go at sucking air into our mouths with the wine! Of course, we all needed extra measures to check the taste.

Serving canapés alongside the wine provided the perfect nibble in between tasters. Finger food is fun and sociable, as well as helping to line the stomach! Making your own canapés will really impress your guests and are much more appetising than stodgy, bland shop-bought ones. To complement the white wines, I served smoked salmon and cream cheese crostini, cranberry and stuffing filo bites for a festive touch, and mozzarella, basil and tomato topped crackers (see below for crostini recipe). All of them went down a treat, especially the salmon. Luckily I’d made plenty!

Really bring your canapés to life by designing interesting flavours and spending extra time on presentation. Using an assortment of different bases and a variety of colourful toppings increases the visual appeal, making them too tempting to resist!

Round 2: The Reds

Next up were the red wines, which we moved on to with gusto. The canapés I served to complement them included fig and blue cheese topped crackers, grape and duck pate topped apple slices, and chorizo, red pepper and hummus crostini.

After multiple slurps, spills and the odd coughing fit mid fish face, we rather hazily reached the end of the tasting and unveiled each wine in turn. In the battle of Reds Vs. Whites, the 'wild card' Argentinian Malbec was the overall winner, with the sweet Riesling the favourite amongst the whites. Interestingly, one of the most expensive wines was one of the least favourites!

Who had the most refined palate? Well, I can safely say everyone got less accurate and more ambitious as the evening progressed! I guessed all of the whites correctly (perhaps a sign I’ve practiced too often?!), but got all of the reds wrong (perhaps I haven’t practiced enough?!).

Serving up some sweet treats including mince pies, chocolate truffles and dark chocolate mints topped off the evening perfectly. Judging by our guests staying until the early hours of the morning and the number of empty bottles found the next day, it was certainly a successful evening!

So, choose your theme and host your own wine tasting party for an evening with a difference. Or why not try different ciders or ales? Perhaps don’t take up one guest’s suggestion of a tequila tasting party; that’s one hangover I wouldn’t be able to handle…

Crostini

Make your own crunchy crostini for your canapés:

1)      Cut a white baguette into thin slices.

2)      Brush both sides with a thin layer of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3)      Spread out on a baking tray and bake at 180⁰C for approx. 5 minutes each side, until golden brown.

4)      Leave to cool before assembling toppings.

Top Tips for a successful wine-tasting party:

Tasting the reds!

- Make sure you’ve got enough wine glasses!

- Ask guests to bring their white wine pre-chilled.

- Chill glasses in the freezer before serving the whites for a special touch.

- Provide a list of the grape varieties and instructions on how they taste if you are beginners. Otherwise, it’s impossible to guess!

- Pop a carafe of water on the table to keep hydrated between tasters.

- Match your canapés to your wine colour.

- Aim for a total of 12 canapés per guest (plus a handful more for spare!)

Takeaway Treats: Greasy Grub Transformed into Health Heaven!

Sometimes nothing beats a takeaway: Pizza and X-factor, Fish ‘n’ chips at the beach, a cheeky drive-through burger and the ‘holy grail’ late-night kebab. What isn’t so welcome is the accompanied guilt when burying the evidence in the bin, wrappers transparent from the grease.

In this post, I’ll show you how to satisfy your cravings every day of the week whilst still packing a nutritious punch!

Monday: ‘Burger Queen’

 

Make your own tasty burgers in record time:

-        Combine a pack of lean beef mince, 1 tbsp. grain mustard, 1 egg yolk, a handful of chopped herbs and the zest of ½ lemon in a mixing bowl. Mustard enriches the juicy meat flavour, and lemon adds a fresh twist.

-        Shape into burgers and grill for approx. 10 minutes each side until cooked through. Grilling helps to drain any fat from the burgers.

Serve in a wholemeal bun with some roasted sweet potato chips and then tuck in!

Tuesday: Pizza Yurt

Pizzas are great fun to make with friends, plus you can all chose your own toppings. When making the pizza base, I can’t be bothered to fuss around proving the dough. Instead, I cheat and do the following:

-        Add water to plain flour until you make a dough ball.

-        Roll it out very thinly to ensure it cooks properly in the middle.

-        Prevent a stodgy base by placing it on greaseproof paper and partially cooking it at 180⁰C for 5-10 minutes on each side before adding the tomato base (see next step) and toppings.

-        To make a rich tomato base thinly spread the pizza with tomato puree, then add some drained and seasoned chopped tomatoes, being careful not to make it too wet.

-        Add your toppings and return to the oven, cooking until golden.

I made a prosciutto ham and rocket pizza, as well as a classic margarita. Adding some fresh basil leaves when serving (after cooking) adds an extra kick of flavour. Choose cheeses which melt easily, such as mozzarella and gorgonzola. To make it extra healthy, keep the cheese portion small and top with lots of colourful vegetables such as peppers, mushrooms, red onion and sweetcorn.

Wednesday: Curry in a Hurry…

Beat the ‘mid-week blues’ with this a tasty Thai Green Curry that is big in flavour, but not big in hassle.

-        Chop some green beans in half and steam until al-dente.

-        Whilst they’re cooking, soften a white onion in a separate saucepan with a tbsp. olive oil. Add chopped garlic and cook for a further minute until golden.

-        Stir in 2 tbsp. Thai green curry paste and cook for a minute to release the delicious flavours.

-        Next, pour in a can of coconut milk and bring to the boil, before adding raw tiger prawns, a few slithers of lime peel and a handful of chopped fresh basil. Turn the heat down and simmer gently until prawns turn pink.

-        Serve with fluffy basmati rice, or brown rice for extra health brownie points.

This recipe is so quick and simple; it can be made in less time than it takes for the curry house to deliver!

Thursday: ‘Off to the Chippie’

Make your own chicken, chips and mushy peas to satisfy those chippie cravings.

-        Chop up some potatoes into chip sized pieces. Leave the skins on for extra flavour and fibre. Par-boil for 10 minutes.

-        Drizzle olive oil and sea salt over the potatoes, before roasting at 180⁰C for approx. 30-40 minutes until crispy.

-        Whilst your chips are cooking, make the chicken kiev. Mash together butter, crushed garlic and fresh chopped parsley. Whizz up the end piece of a loaf of bread in the food processor to make breadcrumbs.

-        Cut a slit in the side of a chicken breast and stuff with a spoonful of the garlic butter.

-        Dip the breast in flour, then whisked egg, then breadcrumbs to coat.

-        Cook in the oven at 180⁰C for 20-25 minutes (depending on size of chicken breast) until golden.

-        Boil some peas, mash and season. Serve alongside your chicken and chips and enjoy!

Friday: Night out Nachos

I always thought making tortilla chips would be difficult. It turns out I was wrong! Just follow these easy steps:

-        Take a few tortilla wraps and, using scissors, cut each one into 6-8 triangular segments like a pizza.

-        Spread the segments out evenly on a baking tray and cook at 180⁰C for approx. 6 minutes on both sides, until they turn a beautiful golden brown colour.

Leave to cool slightly, before serving with homemade guacamole and salsa. So moreish!

Guacamole:

-        Place into a food processor ½ red chilli, 1 garlic clove, a small handful of fresh coriander, 2-4 spring onions, a couple of cherry tomatoes and the juice of 1 lime, then blend together.

-        Add 2 avocados, blending again until a chunky consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Saturday: Late Night Kebab

Curb your ‘Saturday night kebab’ craving by making your own nutritious one for dinner before a night on the town:

-        Coat some lamb or pork pieces in Chinese five spice, chopped chilli and salt and pepper. Grill, roast or dry-fry until cooked through.

-        Whip up your own coleslaw by grating a carrot and 2 red apples, then mixing with chopped ¼ cabbage. Coat with a thin layer of reduced-fat mayonnaise and season with pepper.

-        Stuff wholemeal pittas with slaw and meat pieces for a guilt-free kebab that’s bursting with flavour!

Sunday: TV and Truffles

We all need comfort on a Sunday evening to soften the Monday morning dread. What better way than cwtching up on the sofa in front of the TV, and pigging out on chocolate? Ok, so this entry is not healthy, but after a week of cooking everything from scratch, you deserve a treat!

 

Devilishly Dark Chocolate Truffles:

-        Slowly melt 50g butter with 300g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids) and 5 tbsp. double cream in a saucepan until it just starts to bubble.  Dark chocolate contains anti-oxidants, cue excuse to eat them all!

-        Pour into a roasting-style dish and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

-        Once hardened, mould into balls and coat in cocoa powder.

These are time consuming to make but the quantities above give a good yield and, once done, they will keep for a couple of weeks in an air-tight container. Just try not to eat them all at once….

So, enjoy your takeaway treats this week and look out for my next post to see whether my recent wine-tasting party was a success!