Pair with the Food
The first thing that you should look at is what type of foods are going to be served at your party. This will make a large difference on the type of wine that you will be serving, either red or white. If you are simply having a wine tasting party, several different good wines can be chosen in order to add some variety.

Spend Wisely
You don’t have to spend a fortune on wine for your party, but you probably want to serve something a bit better than Two Buck Chuck. (Although it’s fun to see, if folks can tell the difference.) A mix of medium and inexpensive wines will probably satisfy the taste of most of your guest. If you hosting a wine tasting for your local wine club, you better spend a bit more or have a really good back story about your selection of wines.

Ask an Expert
Some of the things that you’re going to look for whenever you’re choosing wine is going to be where it is bottled as well as the year it is bottled. You don’t have to know everything about a vintage in order to serve good wine for your party. What you really need to do is to visit a wine store where the people are knowledgeable about what they are selling. They will gladly take the time to point you in the right direction. They can also help you stay within your budget.

Serving the best wine you can afford can make all of the difference in how much people are going to enjoy themselves at your party. If you choose wisely, it will be a get-together that people talk about for quite some time to come.

Many times when people think about cooking with wine, what is actually going through their mind is enjoying a glass of wine with a meal that they are having. Although there is a lot to be said for choosing the proper wine to go with what you are eating, what we are talking about is actually using the wine in the recipe itself.

If you have never tried it before, you would be surprised at exactly what you can add to a meal whenever you use wine when you cook. In fact, just how much it helps the flavor of a meal may take you by surprise.

“Who knew that wine could be the ultimate convenience ingredient, adding big impact to recipes and simple dishes?” asks Alison Boteler in her new book, The Gourmet’s Guide to Cooking with Wine: How To Use Wine To Take Simple Recipes from Ordinary to Extraordinary. By the way, this book would make a terrific gift for any foodie you know. Hint! Hint!

Whenever you are cooking with wine, several different things are going to happen. First of all, the alcohol that is in the wine is going to quickly evaporate so you do not need to be concerned about giving the food to your family or those who are too young to drink. Instead of adding alcohol to the meal, it adds a lot of flavor because the taste of the wine is actually concentrated to a certain extent. Although you can choose any wine to cook with, you should make sure that you look beyond the basic choices of red or white.

Typically, you would want to start out with a basic red cooking wine as this is the easiest to use. You can really add it to almost anything that you are cooking in order to give it additional flavor. As you continue to use wine when you are cooking, you may want to do a little bit of experimentation with things such as white wines and also cooking sherry. Sherry is actually just a wine that is fortified with spirits in order to help preserve the taste of the wine, even after it is opened.

Extra Benefit: It’s Good for Your Health

You might also be wondering about the health benefits of cooking with wine. There is a chemical that is found in the skin of grapes called resveratrol. Many people enjoy drinking red wine in order to get the health benefits that comes from this particular chemical. It is said to not only help with cancer, it may also help those with heart disease. Fortunately, resveratrol is not hurt with the cooking process but if you leave wine open for a long period of time, it may lose some of its potency.

Traditionally, red wine can be used for poultry; beef; veal; ham; pasta; lamb; and pork. What kind of wine? For poultry, ham, pork and veal, try a red Zinfandel or Beaujolais. For beef, pasta and lamb; a cabernet sauvignon or merlot would suffice.

White chardonnay would compliment strong cheeses; pork, poultry and seafood, including shellfish. A white Zinfandel or rose wine could accompany appetizers; mild cheeses; desserts; ham, lamb, poultry; and seafood.

Sparkling wine such as Spumante or Champagne could also be served with appetizers; mild cheeses; and desserts.

If you still have a problem deciding on what wines to service with your meals, here is a safe bet. When choosing white wines, pick out a Pinot Grigio (deliciously light and dry); Sauvignon Blanc; Riesling; or Champagne (for very special occasions), and other Sparking wines. Rose wines can include White Zinfandel; and Red wines can include Beaujolais, Pinot Noir and Merlot (which is full-bodied wine perfect for any pasta dish as well).

Easy Rule of thumb: Serve light-bodied wine with lighter food and a full-bodied wine with heartier, flavorful dishes.

Serving suggestions: In addition, here are some suggestions on how to serve wine. First, quickly chill the wine by placing the bottle in a bucket of ice water for ten minutes, rather than in the freezer. Chill sparkling wine in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving, or chill in ice water for twenty to thirty minutes. When filling a wine glass, you need to allow the wine to breathe; thus, filling it half way is suggested.

Remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune on wine. A simple Pinot or Merlot will suffice, and both are affordable.

Toronto, Canada has an entire convention devoted to Wine and Cheese, now going on for more than 20 years. But perhaps one shouldn’t get too excited, since the pairing goes back at least 4,000 years.

Both products are made from living substances and improve with age, both are a product of fermentation, the process by which yeast cells introduce chemical changes and both reflect their terroir. ‘Terroir’ refers to the combination of soil, climate and region from which the product comes.

Traditionalists suggest that the wine and cheese be paired according to region or strength, thus preventing one from overpowering the other. Part of the reason is the tannin levels. Red wines, fermented with the skins, have a higher concentration than white and this affects the pairing characteristics. The protein and fat in cheese helps coat the palate, reducing the harshness of excess tannin.

This view goes so far in France as to be incorporated into the AOC laws. Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée is a set of regulations dictating grape growing and wine making conditions, labeling, output, etc. Sometimes this match works well — the historic Grand Cru Montrachet is a perfect partner for the Montrachet Goat Cheese, having been made side by side for centuries.

Wines with higher tannin content do pair well with harder cheeses, whereas creamy cheeses require a wine with higher acidity, while whiter, fresher cheeses complement a crisper, fruitier wine. Heavy or rich cheeses make a fine partner to light reds or even Chardonnay. For example, Caraway and Gewürztraminer, Feta and Beaujolais, Havarti and Bordeaux.

Those who enjoy a sweet or dessert wine should seek out a strong, veined cheese and a full-bodied white or younger red with lower tannins goes well with a soft, bloomy white or red dotted rind.

As examples, a Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier or Riesling, even a Pinot Blanc, does wonderfully with most Goat’s cheeses such as Fontina or Feta, Averti or Emmental. A dry Gewürztraminer pairs delectably with Brie or Camembert, Livarot or Oka. And a Gamay Noir or Cabernet Franc, even Barbaresco, does just fine with no rind, a Gouda, Gruyère or Munster.

When you’ve selected a complex Pinot Noir or Syrah, or one of the new Super Tuscans try a Chaput, Langres or Gubbeen. And for that Bordeaux or Grenache don’t miss out on the oiled Parmigiano, Cantal or Tilsit.

Last, for the sweet Vouvray or Sauternes, or your favorite Auxe Icewine look for a blue-veined, a Cambonzola, Moutonnière or Mascarpone.

Traditionalists will always favor the tried and true rules of red with this and white with that or full-bodied with full-flavored and light with light. The radicals advocate experimentation and will favor the new and zesty. And the anarchist will say: ‘Down with rules!’. But whatever one’s leanings, all can agree that wine and cheese are the perfect running mates.

Recommended reading: The All American Cheese and Wine Book