How To Host a Wine Tasting

Pairing Wine with Food

Nov 21, 2008

If you enjoy wine and like to sample different varieties, here are some pairings using America's favorites, pizza and chocolate!

If you are like a lot of people, you enjoy wine but would like to extend your knowledge of it outside the oh so classic zinfandels and chardonnays. Here are a variety of different wines and foods for fun and interesting pairings. Invite the crew over for a couples cocktail party or a girl’s night in pajama party, and try a few of these pairings. Either way, you and your friends will walk away with a greater appreciation of the world of wine. Be sure to keep a pitcher of water nearby for cleansing the pallet between tastings.

Chocolate and wine

Empty 1 package of Nestle’s Tollhouse dark chocolate raspberry morsels into a metal pan over bowling hot water, or in fondue pot or fountain. Stir in a bit of milk until you reach your desired consistency. Use fresh pieces of angel food cake, short bread cookies, and pretzel sticks for dipping.

Wines: Rheingau, Pfalz Riesling, Beaujolais-villages, Muscats, Liqueur muscats, Marsala, Loupiac, Barbaresco, Malaga, and Sherry (very sweet).

Pizza and wine

For this one you’ll need a biscuit cutter and a couple of packages of Pilsbury biscuits, or your favorite pre made pizza dough (you may even be able to get pre made dough from your local favorite pizza parlor). Roll the dough out flat on counter or pizza pan, until flat. Use biscuit cutter to cut out small round mini pizzas. Brush with olive oil. Let guests top their pizzas with spaghetti sauce or pesto, toppings and cheese (have your guests stick colored toothpicks into their pizza for easy recognition of their pizza when it is done). Bake until cheese is golden brown and bubbly and the heavenly aroma feels the air.

Wines: Chianti, Monte Pulciano D’ Abruzzo, Chianti Rutina, California Sangiovese, Refresco or Chardonnay

So there you have it friends, dessert, pizza and wine! It doesn’t get any better than that. For wine supplies, questions and information on wine tasting events, please be sure to ask your wine connoisseur at your local wine shop.

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