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My wife and I recently joined a wine club and encouraged a few of our neighbors to do likewise. The wine company ships several bottles of wines to you which are accompanied by a range of recipes which can be paired with the wines purchased with your order.

 We attended our first “wine and dinner” party a couple of months ago with five people in attendance and it proved to be a very successful evening. It was nearing the end of June and my wife was conscious of the fact that nobody had bothered to arrange another Suarez. Time was of the essence with July and August looming and people invariably take vacations in those months with no time for dinner parties.

 It was on a Tuesday when my wife e-mailed her fellow wine club members to ask whether anyone was available to attend a dinner party for the forthcoming Saturday. The response was overwhelming with nine people including ourselves signed up. I was informed on the Thursday that the event was to take place at our home, but I would not be required to contribute time or effort but merely show up and be a gregarious host.

 My wife conferred with fellow recipients and it was agreed that she would provide pork chops for the entrée, and prepare the dessert. Connie was designated to bring appetizers, Kelly would provide a salad, and Kathy decided to make asparagus soup. Our local wine store suggested that Kathy pair her soup with champagne which proved to be an intriguing combination for the second course of our meal. Kelly also decided to contribute an appetizer which could function as a midnight snack if the main meal didn’t hit the right spots.

 Tanya brought a side dish of rice pilaf to accompany the pork chops and my wife would later throw in green beans for good measure. The evening’s meal had taken shape:

• Appetizers: Shrimp dip, Mexican corn dip, and havarti cheese. Wine pairing: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Starter: Asparagus soup; wine pairing: champagne
• Salad: Spinach salad with toasted pecans, goat cheese, and balsamic vinegar dressing; paired with the remaining Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Entrée: Grilled pork chops marinated in Italian dressing and Worcestershire sauce, stirred fried Vidalia onions & Granny Smith apples, rice pilaf and green beans. Wine pairing: Sangiovese
• Dessert: Roasted pears with almonds, cranberries and white chocolate drizzle. Wine pairing: Late harvest viognier

  It was 7:15pm; the first guests began to arrive and we elected to serve the appetizers downstairs in the den which proved to be a mixed blessing. Conversation was flowing; the Braves game was on TV and moving into the crucial 9^th and final inning. Everyone was happy and relaxed with a glass or two of the opening salvo of wine. Kathy wanted to know when we could open the champagne and I gently reminded her it should see the light of day during the second course. After much cajoling, the dinner guests moved back upstairs to take their seats at the dining table. Earlier in the day we realized that we only had 8 place settings including cutlery for nine people. No worries; I gave myself a mongrel set and nobody really noticed or they were too polite to comment. The champagne corks were popped and we settled down for the soup which was delicious. In fact every course was delicious.

 Including water goblets, we used nearly 40 glasses during the meal and practically every dish in the house. By the time we arrived at the entrée stage, food and wine pairings had taken a back seat and we were reduced to requesting red or white wine with the subsequent course. Kathy is a professional pianist and, following dessert, provided impromptu entertainment on our Yamaha for the rest of the guests. It was a shame our attempts at singing didn’t match Kathy’s exquisite playing.

 Coffee was served around 11.15pm which destroyed the myth that Americans prefer to eat fast and furious. A four hour meal was in the books and even a Frenchman would have been impressed by the conviviality. Fine wine, great company, delectable food, and the sweet sound of ivories tinkling on a piano; what could be better?

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Food & Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.