Nurturing my inner... annual fall wine tasting

This is the third time I've hosted an official wine tasting.  It started a few years ago as "Wine 101: Introduction to the Basics."  I had lots of friends who either didn't drink much wine because they didn't know what made one better than another or people who did drink wine and just wanted to be introduced to new varietals and styles.  They were excellent little students and it was such a great time of learning, people asked me to do it again.  Here's a little sample of what we covered:

101 began with an introduction of how to see, smell and taste wine.  We talked about "legs," aka the glycerin or sugar content and how to describe the flavors, such as hints of pepper, citrus, mineral or wood.  I took the predominantly white whiners (ha!) and brought them into the illustrious world of reds with some tried and true light-bodied cross overs, and brought red wine drinkers back to the light with some dry and delicate rosés.  Even had them take a sip of a rich red, then eat a bite of dark chocolate and try the wine again to show how the flavor profile changes with food pairings.

201 brought a selection of regions and comparisons of similar wine types made in different countries.  Paying special attention as well to some of my very favorite wines: 2005 Riojas from Spain.

301 featured wines I had picked up in recent months and particularly enjoyed.  Sometimes it's just that simple.  Serve what you like.

The night's options on my friend's buffet.
Love her lamps.

I've figured out what makes a wine tasting great.  This is what I do:

1.) I put together a small excel spreadsheet of the wines we'll be sampling that evening and give a copy to every guest.  Organized by Wine Name, Type, Region/Country, Year, Price and then I leave an empty box for Rate.  My method of rating came about when I used to go to Balducci's wine tastings on Saturday mornings when they had a store in Reston.  (I was DEVASTATED when they closed some years ago and am still recovering from that local loss.)  I found that when there were 60 potential options, I wouldn't remember which ones I liked.  Or didn't like.  So I developed a code to make it foolproof.  I put a . (dot) in that space near the wine if I tried it, a - (minus) if I didn't like it, a check if I liked it and a + (plus) if I loved it.  That way, by the end of the tasting, I was clear on who the real winners were.  (Hiccup.)





Simple wine grid.

 
2.) I have everyone bring an appetizer.  You can also add up the wine and divide the cost by the number of people who will be sampling, which I did the first time.  But decided this year it would be my treat as the substitute for my Christmas party, since parking is an issue where I live.  (That's why my friend offered to host.  Don't you love her wonderful table decor?  You can get more great, and financially wise, decorating tips from her blog: http://ahomeblog.blogspot.com/)

Like out of a cozy home magazine. Love
those apothecary jars.

Everyone brought amazing dishes.  I am always impressed how the girls go all out for this.  The tastes and presentations were so professional and made for a delightful evening from start to finish.



Appearance is as important as flavor.
You eat with your eyes first.



3.) And this is the part they all love.  I shop year round (at places like TJ Maxx and Home Goods) for bargains on fun little items: small cookbooks, dish towels, Christmas cookie plates, candles, soaps, mini cutting boards, small colanders, colored pairing knives.  I put some of them together in little bundles wrapped in colored cellophane.  When the girls arrive, I put all their names in a small basket and then throughout the night I have someone draw a name, maybe every 30 minutes, and they get a surprise bundle.  They are always so full of anticipation, waiting to see what little treasure the next winner will receive.  Not everyone wins something, but that's part of the fun.  Maybe they'll be a winner next year.  (Though one friend won again this year and I had her in charge of writing the names down, so maybe she wrote her name down 10 times!  I guess I'll have to watch her more closely next year.)

I have as much fun shopping for the gifts
as the girls do winning them!

The wine tasting is always such a fun-filled night, that we decided to make it an annual Fall event.  It's a fun way to kick off the holiday season and get all of us together before everyone gets so busy or is out of town.  My friends enjoy a girls' night out (thanks to the husbands for watching their kids - you guys are the best!) and then each has some new wine options to include at their seasonal dinner events.  Not to mention clever appetizer ideas.  How's that for a good time!  (I already started picking up gifts for next year's raffle even.  I know, I can't help myself!  Might have to start having an annual Spring wine tasting too!)

Nurturing my inner... wine and gratins

The general idea of this began on a TV show.  But it wasn't exactly to my liking.  I did what I normally do when that happens - I made it up tonight the way I wanted it.

Scallop Gratins with White Wine and Thyme Butter

4 large sea scallops
4 tbsp white wine
4 tbsp plain Panko breadcrumbs
Drizzle of olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Dash of salt
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

I bought these wonderful small gratin dishes from the Le Creuset outlet a few months ago.  I had a 35% off coupon.  My motto: Be a wise buyer!  You can get really nice, quality things for great prices.  You just have to use your noggin.

One of every color they had. I chose to
use the orange and blue ones tonight.

Seafood needs to be fresh.  Not that anything else shouldn't.  But fruit of the sea should be dealt with especially carefully.  Take no chances.  When I brought these home, I froze them immediately.  I took them out this evening and they thawed in a couple of hours.

How they looked when I bought them
from the fish monger.

Whole scallops can be used, but I liked the idea of cutting them into pieces.  They'll cook faster and all the delicious other ingredients can get all in there when there is more surface area.

Under water cubism.

The dishes are shallow, therefore things can cook quickly.  I like to be able to make individual portions, so the little dishes are perfect for me.  You could use a larger dish and do it all in one though.  Shallow is the key.

Individual attention.

I made thyme butter.  This was a new adventure as I've not made herb butter before.  Too bad I didn't have fresh herbs, but dried was going to have to do today.  I do like that I was able to make a fabulous dinner tonight from things I had in my condo, so I don't feel bad at all.  I will make more flavored butters in the future, so I promise to get fresh herbs then.

Butter cubism.

All you do is cut up the butter into little pieces, let it soften, add the herbs and mix with a fork.

Couldn't be easier. So much more flavor
than plain butter.

Seems like it needed a vegetable.  Something green.  Something elegant.  Something also available in my freezer as I didn't get to the farmers' market on Saturday because I was gallivanting around Richmond.

Flash frozen like they were just picked.

I snapped them into one inch pieces while frozen.  Just as easy as cutting them with a knife, yet I enjoyed the more tactile experience.

It was a snap!

It's a sort of layering type dealio after your prep work is done.  Put the gratin dishes on a cookie sheet.  Split everything in half between the two of them.  Add the scallops.  Drizzle olive oil on them.

The scallops base.

No need to defrost the asparagus.  It will cook in the oven with the rest.

Veggies balance the scallops nicely.

A lesson in cooking with wine that probably is more obvious these days than it was in the 80s: Only cook with wine you would drink.  If you wouldn't put it in a glass and have it with your meal, it's not worth putting in your meal at all.

Doesn't have to be expensive. I got this
wine at a tasting at Wegmans for about $7.00.

A splash of white wine adds such bright flavor to seafood.  I love using my porcelain teaspoon measurers.  I was watching Giada DeLaurentiis one day and noticed them.  Then I actually saw them at Anthropologie, so I was up for a little splurge!  I don't regret it ever.  If I ever break one, I will have a fit!

Weird perspective. Had to take
this left-handed.

Add breadcrumbs and thyme butter and place in the oven so you can get this party started!

The ingredients for a crunchy topping.

I baked these in a 425 degree oven for 14 minutes.  Until they were slightly browned on top and scallops turned white.  A fresh squeeze of lemon juice and you've got a crispy, crunchy, tender, melts in your mouth, classy dish.

The presentation looks right out of
a small French bistro.

Shot complete with a glass of wine.

The same white wine I cooked with.
Light, crisp, fresh.

Cooking with wine is not something I've done much of because I mostly partake of it in a glass beside my meal, but I'm planning on doing it more.  The alcohol gets burned off and what's left is the wonderful essence of fermented grape with endless combinations of undertones.  Salute!