Wine tasting party...?

Question

We will be sampling Merlot and Cabernet. What appetizers should I serve.

Answer 1

I would do different cheeses,crackers,melba toast,& these things called lavash [[its a thin slice of ham,creamcheese,and a piece of romaine wrapped in a sun dried tomato tortilla cut into small pieces..Looks like a roll..Or fondue

Answer 2

sashimi, pok'e, lomi lomi salmon, tempura

good luck!

Answer 3

You need bite sized things with protein in them.  Beef fondue is an idea but would be rather costly.  You could serve Kielbasa sliced with cubes of swiss cheese and a spicey brown mustard to dip.  Another cold idea is pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.  

A good hot one could be mini reubens:

Get party rye bread a pound of thin sliced corned beef and 1/4 pound of swiss cheese, a small can of sauerkraut and a 1/2 cup of thousand island dressing.  Chop the meat and cheese into a bowl and mix in the dressing and sauerkraut.  Spoon a small amount of the mixture on each piece of rye and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and bubbles.  Arrange on a platter and serve.  

You could have a cheese platter, a shrimp ring with cocktail sauce, creamed herring and crackers, vegetable platter with dip (crudite), one of those edible bouquets would make a decent centerpiece and loads of toothpicks and cocktail napkins, also have a garbage container close by for trash.  

Even though the wines are closely related there is enough of a difference between them to make an interesting tasting party.  I would say have two or three of these ideas available for eating as your guests are tasting wines then I would also serve a sort of cake and some coffee (decaf?) to round out the evening.  Best of luck.

Answer 4

Cheese!!!!!

Some well chosen cheeses will enhance your wine tasting by 200%

For rich red wines, better get some aged cheese.

Answer 5

which ever thing you like to have but i'd say some bread and butter i guess

Answer 6

Extra-long chili cheese dogs with chili cheese fries!!!!

Answer 7

Red meat with some fat for the Cab - need something to bust up the tannins. But don't add too many other flavors. You could do some mini hamburgers. Better yet - mini cheeseburgers with some stinky cheese - blue, brie.

That would work well with Merlot as well, but a duck salad would be awesome or some little grilled lamb chops. Stuffed mushrooms could work, too.

It sounds like the party is about the wine, so keep the food simple.

Answer 8

Different types of cheese (brie, blue, mozzarella, cheddar), crackers, cut up apples, pears and grapes - hummus with pita chips/flatbreads and meats such as prosciutto, soppressato and salami...

Answer 9

Nice combo for a wine tasting party.  There are several choices I would have with two nice reds. My favorite would be a cheese plate with pieces of sharp cheddar, parmigiana reggiano, grana padano and a mild muenster or mozzarella. I would also suggest a balsamic vinegar for dipping the parmigiana. Combine the cheeses with a few cracker varieties, such as, oyster, saltine or a nice veggie flavored cracker.

A couple of other suggestions would be a calamari salad, or a tomato-mozzarella  salad.

I'm not sure how to make a good calamari salad, but my wife makes an outstanding tomato-mozzarella.

You take big leafs of Romaine lettuce, cover it with slices of tomato, mozzarella, onion, olives, artichoke hearts, roasted red and yellow peppers and pepprocine(leave these out if you don't like hot). Cover with a good Balsamic Vinaigrette.