How to throw a Wine Party at Home

Want to throw an awesome wine party at your house? Boyfriend and I had a last-minute change in plans a few weeks ago when the wine festival we were supposed to attend with friends was canceled due to rain. We made do, and relocated to my house. We asked each couple to bring at least two wines- one red, and one white. All of us had varied knowledge of wines, so it was fun.

A friend told us doing themed wine parties is more fun--for instance Oregon Pinots, 2007 Cabernets, only New Jersey wines. Next time, I'd put a  theme around it.

Of course, wine parties call for a few staples: classy minibites to complement the taste of the wines, and bland crackers or bread to cleanse your palate in between wines.

Find my tips and menu below!

My menu:
-Mini crabcakes with roasted red pepper aioli 
-Rustic onion tart
-Baked ricotta and tomato puff pastry flatbread

Wine Tasting 101

Wine Party Scoring Cards

Announcing...52 New Weeks of New Food 2013

Hot on the heels of my Year in Review, announcing...my 2013 list of new foods! I already have three under my belt, and I think I'll be able to add 49 more before the end of the year.

Here's to new recipes, old friends, great wine and beautiful new traditions!

1.       Creamed Onions

2.       Gut a fish/Salt fish

3.       Bread from scratch

4.       Souflee

5.       Mom’s Crab Quiche

6.       Pasta from Scratch

7.       Flourless Chocolate Cake

8.       Rutabega recipe

9.       Homemade pizza

10.   Sweet and sour tofu

11.   Mushroom tartlets

12.   Cream of mushroom soup

13.   Salisbury steak

14.   Colcannon

15.   Shepherd’s Pie

16.   Enchiladas Suizas with Green Chile Sauce

17.   Mole sauce

18.   Gnudi

19.   White wine sangria

20.   French Onion Soup with Gruyere Croutons

21.   Scarpetta Tomato and Basil Sauce

22.   Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

23.   Gravy

24.   Scotch Eggs

25.   Tamale

26.   Black Cod Recipe from Yellowstone

27.   Wild game pot roast (from a butcher)

28.   Maple fudge

29.   Cream of Leek Soup

30.   BLT Cheesecake

31.   Onion Tart

32.   PB Cup pie

33.   Feta Salad Dressing

34.   Chicken and Brown Rice with Spinach and Baby Portobello Casserole

35.   Carnitas

36.   Thai Chicken and Basil

37.   Irish Beef Hand Pies

38.   Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast with Walnut Mushroom Cream

39.   Pasta with Mushrooms in Pumpkin Gorgonzola Sauce

40.   Southwest Pasta with Bacon

41.   Pepperoni Pasta Bake

42.   Butternut Squash Risotto

43.   Prune cake

44.   Carbonara

45.   Mushroom Ragu

46.   Shrimp Creole

47.   Sesame Lime Tuna

48.   Sherried Tomato Soup

49.   Sweet Corn Soup with Crab

50.   Scalloped Pumpkin and Spinach

51.   Broccoli Blue Cheese Bake

52.   Mashed Turnips with Parmesan