Wine tasting party

[TemperanceOwl]

I've invited some coworkers over for a tasting party in January. I'll serve my Carmenere, Pyment, Riesling (if any of these red drinkers want it) and end with Toasted Caramel Port. I plan to serve homemade bread and three kinds of deli cheese. Do you all have any suggestions of what, if any, hors d'oeuvre meats should I serve to not overwhelm or distract from the wines? At a normal wine and cheese party I might serve some salami or Hickory Farm sausage, but those are pretty strong.
Thanks for your ideas!

 

[Boatboy24]

Balls of cantaloupe and honeydew (or mozzarella) wrapped in prosciutto. And I think sausage or salami would be fine with those wines. I wouldn't go too spicy though.

 

[sour_grapes]

d Do you all have any suggestions of what, if any, hors d'oeuvre meats should I serve to not overwhelm or distract from the wines? At a normal wine and cheese party I might serve some salami or Hickory Farm sausage, but those are pretty strong.
Thanks for your ideas!

One idea is to serve charcuterie made from whole muscles, such as capicola or prosciutto. These are not as spicy as many charcuterie that are made from ground meats, where there is more need and more opportunity to add spices.

However, there are sausages that will not overwhelm your wines. Find salumi made in more of an earthy style than a hot and spicy style. (I find the ones made with truffle to be like crack cocaine! Cannot get enough.)

Here is a picture of some things served to accompany a tasting I was fortunate to have in Montalcino. Note that there is both whole-muscle and salume charcuterie there:

 

[Rocky]

TO, with your Carmenere, I suggest serving a Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola. The contrast of the salty cheese and the sweetness of the wine is amazing. It would be similar to the suggestion above by Jim which combines sweet (melon) and salty (prosciutto). Also, in addition to home made bread, you might get some very plain crackers. Stay away from any kind of nuts. Their high tannin does not go well with red wines.

 

[TemperanceOwl]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! Paul, that plate looks wonderful! Rocky, the specific cheese recommendation for Carmenere really helps. I'll do that! Jim, the melon wrapped in proscuitto sounds good, too! Those are all great ideas!

 

[Boatboy24]

Are you noticing a theme here? Prosciutto goes well with everything. God, I love that stuff.

 

[Arne]

Having a party, too bad Tenn. is so far away or we could crash it. Maybe get Jswordy to show up, he is somewhere down in that neck of the woods. Have a great time, Arne.

 

[JohnT]

The question I have is this.. Is this a wine/cheese party or a tasting?

If a wine/cheese party, then I would not be so concerned about overwhelming the wine and simply pick thing that go well..

port wine cheddar,
goat cheese croquettes,
good sharp ny state cheddar,
Brie,
assorted meats (sorrisetto, Hungarian salami, and/or Prosciutto)
stuffed mushrooms,
cocktail meatballs,
"pigs in a blanket"

AND OLIVES! I always like to get a variety (some come stuffed with pimentos, sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese, blue cheese, or almonds).



If a wine tasting, I would offer nothing other than oyster crackers until the tasting is done.

 

[Bartman]

I have two suggestions for your wine tasting:
a) my wife returned from a cruise in France a month ago and said they offered these as a palette cleanser between wine courses - Gougeres, or French cheese puff pastries http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/01/gougeres-french-cheese-puffs/
Made with Comte cheese, these were great with various wines as the flavor is neutral but still present, and the texture is phenomenal
b) our favorite local wine bar/restaurant, Mercy, has a cheese tray offering where you choose 3-4 of their wide selection of strong and mild cheeses, but what's really impressive is what they bring on the tray with whatever cheese you select: almost-paper-thin sliced green apple and firm pears (not too ripe), Greek olives, figs (cut into pieces the size of your thumbnail), a couple dried apricots, and some very simple wafer-type water crackers. The presentation of that tray is always impressive, and the older I get, the more I realize that presentation and the experience of wine tasting counts nearly as much as the quality/taste of the wine itself.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

A 70% cocoa dark chocolate goes very well with a dry red wine too.

 

[JohnT]

A 70% cocoa dark chocolate goes very well with a dry red wine too.

I agree! Semi Sweet Dark Chocolate! Sounds strange, but man do they go well together!

 

[TemperanceOwl]

What a bunch of great ideas!
JohnT, this is intended as a wine tasting, but I figured I'd better plan to feed folks if they come over on a Friday or Saturday night.
I love all the cheese and prosciutto suggestions, and OLIVES! I love olives!

 

[JohnT]

What a bunch of great ideas!
JohnT, this is intended as a wine tasting, but I figured I'd better plan to feed folks if they come over on a Friday or Saturday night.
I love all the cheese and prosciutto suggestions, and OLIVES! I love olives!

OK, Then I would conduct a tasting and serve nothing but oyster crackers to cleanse the pallet. After the tasting, I would then fill glasses with the personal preferences and then feed them.

 

[TemperanceOwl]

OK, Then I would conduct a tasting and serve nothing but oyster crackers to cleanse the pallet. After the tasting, I would then fill glasses with the personal preferences and then feed them.

Great recommendation, John! That's what I'll plan to do.