By Christine Szalay Kudra

Wine tasting parties are perfect for getting together either formally or informally with friends. Everyone can relax, taste a few fine wines, and snack on some delicious snacks. Wine tasting parties take a lot less work to organize than a dinner party, and they can also be very elegant.

Planning your party is still important. Pick a theme. Perhaps you will serve wines from one region only, or from places that are not generally recognized as winery country. Maybe it would be interesting to try wines made from fruit other than grapes, or try an international night where you feature wines from France, Italy, or Australia.

Once you have decided on the wines you want to serve, pair them up with appropriate appetizers. Lighter, white wines need light food to accompany them like tapenade or shrimp, while you can couple full-bodied red wines with substantial offerings like meats or even chili. If you are choosing dessert wines, you need to decide if you prefer to serve a sweet dessert appetizer with them or something savory to cut the sweetness.

It seems that the simplest, freshest foods bring out the best in wine, which is why bread, cheese, and fruit top the list of appetizers served at wine parties. Combinations of these foods can be used to create more appetizers, like tomato and herb bruschetta or baked brie and bread cubes.

When you are setting up for your wine tasting party, be sure to have plenty of fresh water on hand. Your guests may want to cleanse their palate between tastings, and the water will help everyone stay hydrated. You may also want to keep a receptacle available in case someone only wants to savor and then spit out the wine. Swallowing too many different types of wine can cloud their judgment when tasting other varieties or they may not like one that they try.

Keep some bland appetizers available for the actual tasting portion of your party. This will also help remove the flavors of the previous wine from your guests’ palates. Once the initial tasting is all done, bring out the good appetizers and let everyone enjoy them with their favorite wines of the evening.

It can be a lot of fun to let your guests rate the wines you have chosen for the evening, giving them ratings and descriptions for what they did and did not like. Do not worry about them rating the appetizers, though; they will be a sure hit during the evening.

Make sure that there is a designated driver or that your guests can get home safely if they have imbibed a bit too much. This is another good reason to provide plenty of snacks. If they are busy eating, they will enjoy the wine but not drink too much.

Top 10 Appetizers

1. Bruschetta
2. Cheese and Crackers
3. Seasonal Fruit
4. Bread with Olive Oil and Herbs
5. Tapenade
6. Chocolates
7. Smoked Salmon Points
8. Baked Brie
9. Shrimp Puffs
10. Shrimp Ring

Make some easy party appetizers for your next shindig. Easy appetizer recipes do not stress you out, they taste delicious, and you can take the time to enjoy your party instead of working in the kitchen!

EasyAppetizerRecipes.net - You Make the Appetizers, We Help You Make Them Delicious

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_Szalay_Kudra
http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-10-Appetizers-For-Wine-Tasting-Parties&id=4254912

Tags: Baked Brie, Bread Cubes, Bruschetta, Delicious Snacks, Dessert Wines, Different Types Of Wine, Fine Wines, Flavors, Kudra, Light Food, Many Different Types, Red Wines, Substantial Offerings, Sweet Dessert, Szalay, Tapenade, White Wines, Wine Parties, Wine Tasting Party, Wines From France

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