With four more Thursdays before Christmas Day, which also falls on a Thursday, our focus is on wine as it relates to the season.

Party Wine
A number of requests have been received for help with selecting wines for parties and 'get-togethers'. It seems everyone wants to expand from just having a regular bar with one white and one red wine to also having a wine bar with a selection of wines to offer their guests.

In order to make a good recommendation for type and quantity of wine, I usually have a number of questions; I ask about budget, what type of food is being served, how many persons, are the majority of guests wine drinkers or not, how long is the event, is it mainly standing or sitting, what time of day is the event.

After a number of experiments with large and small events, I am beginning to realise that the bigger the guest list for the party, the fewer wine choices you should have unless wine is the primary focus of the event. Now I typically suggest four wines; a fruity light-bodied and a full-bodied white wine and a light-bodied and a full-bodied red wine. If there are a lot of new wine drinkers expected I usually throw an off dry white wine or blush in the mix. Persons come to mix and mingle and most are not too concerned about what wine is in their glasses as long as it tastes good, so don't break the bank for fancy wine; on the flip side don't go with the cheapest product on the market either.

Examples of light medium-bodied crisp, fresh dry white wines are: Italian Whites, Muscadet, Chenin Blanc, Orvieto, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio. These wines are usually food-friendly.

Full-Bodied Whites include: White burgundy, California and Australian Chardonnay, White Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Other great white wine choices include some off dry and aromatic wines such as Gewurztraminer, Torrontes, Viognier, Reisling, and White Zinfandel.

Light Fruity Reds to choose from are: Beaujolais, Valpolicella, Bourgogne Rouge and most Pinot Noir, Unoaked Merlot, Italian Merlot and young Tempranillo. These wines are usually food-friendly.

Medium to full-bodied reds would include Bordeaux, Chianti Classico, Rioja Crianza, Australian Shiraz and blends, Chilean Merlot, Malbec, Pinotage, Zinfandel.

How much wine to purchase?

Standing guests tend to consume more wine than when they are sitting, so factor four glasses per guest for a typical stand-around cocktail party lasting 3-4 hours in the evening. One regular 750ml bottle of wine can comfortably pour five to six glasses. If wine is the only drink, then buying one bottle per guest is recommended, with 2:1 red/white ratio. Of course this all depends on your target audience. The earlier the event the less people will consume - unless you're having a beach or pool party.

Other Home Entertainment tips:
PREPARE FOR SPONTANEOUS EVENTS: Keep a mixed case of inexpensive favourite wines on hand, as well as a couple of bottles of the ever popular merlot, chardonnay and a bottle of champagne in the fridge. You'll always be ready for drop-in guests or spur-of-the-moment celebrations.
CHILLING WINE QUICKLY: Your guests are arriving in 10 minutes and you forgot to chill the white. Sound familiar? Relax and, most importantly, resist the urge to throw the bottle in the freezer. The fastest way to chill a white is to submerge it in an ice bucket filled with a mixture of ice and cold water.

REMEMBER: A white that's "too chilled" won't be able to exhibit its full flavour and bouquet; and a red that's too warm won't show its full potential. A handy rule of thumb is to take whites out of the ice bucket a half-hour before serving, and place reds in the refrigerator for a half-hour before serving.
CHOOSING WINE GLASSES: Glasses vary in size and shape to enhance the aroma of a particular wine. Start with a set of all-purpose glasses for white and one for red, they must be tulip or pear-shaped; wide bottom, narrow top. Since champagne requires a tall narrow glass so that bubbles stay perky for as long as possible, you'll want a nice set of flutes as well.

When filling a glass with white or red, stop just below half-full. Leaving room in the glass allows a wine to release its aromas and "open up". Champagne flutes should be filled two-thirds of the way up.

TO DECANT OR NOT TO DECANT: Do you have an older (10 years or more), or a young full-bodied red on hand? Then yes! Break out your gorgeous decanter and go to it.
Decanting separates unpleasant sediment from older wines, and aerates them. Big, younger reds simply benefit from having the opportunity to breathe (decanters, like red wine glasses, have a much larger opening than the slim neck of the wine bottle, giving oxygen easier access to the wine).

Some wines will benefit from an hour or so in the decanter before being served, while others can slowly be enjoyed right away. Either way, you'll notice a progressive deepening of both aroma and taste as the wine opens up over the course of your gathering.

Cheers! Now go forth and try a few new wines. Please send your wine stories, comments and questions to creckord@gmail.com . DeVine Wine Services is operated by Chris and Kerri-Anne Reckord and its mission is to improve wine appreciation through wine education and events. Both are members of the Society of Wine Educators and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

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