2008 Woodie Awards
Party like it's vintage 1999
Wining, dining guests adds touch of sophistication to college parties
By: Sean Davis
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Creekside Cellars in Chico offers wine tasting and an extensive selection of wines for sale. Owner Brenda McLaughlin said when planning a wine tasting it's important to think about the scope of the party. Things to consider include how many guests, the cost and the type of affair. Is it formal or informal?
"Think about a theme like a country or region," said McLaughlin. "Maybe you only want to do California wines, or maybe Australia, the new big high areas."
McLaughlin said the theme could be anything from French to Italian. Instead of choosing a country theme, she said to think about a varietal.
"Maybe you only want to do merlots," said McLaughlin. "But you could pick merlots from around the world."
After the scope of the party is determined, the rest of the night is to be judged by tastes, thoughts and pleasures. To learn how to host a wine tasting, www.learn2.com gives a tutorial in five basic steps. Make sure to have the necessities such as a corkscrew, appropriate wine glasses, water, unsalted crackers or french bread, and possibly a container where people can spit the wine.
McLaughlin recommended five wines from California that would be ideal for a first time wine tasting. All of the wines she suggested have been rated "very good" by Wine Spectator and are reasonably priced. The first wine she said to serve is St. Supéry's 2000 sauvignon blanc for $14.99. Next should be Belvedere's 1999 chardonnay for $13.99 followed by Heron's 1999 merlot for $11.99. The fourth wine should be Bogle Vineyards' 1999 old vine zinfandel for $11.99, and the last wine served should be Pepper Wood Grove's 1999 syrah for $7.99.
McLaughlin said five bottles should be enough for five couples or 10 guests. If each couple brings one bottle, she said the average cost per person is around $6.
"The bottom line is whether you liked it or not," said McLaughlin.
"Just like the differences in wines, there are differences in people.
You are going to have as many opinions as the number of people
in the room."
McLaughlin said another factor of wine tasting and rating is the
price. She said a lot of people may like the wine but would never
pay $45 for a bottle.
"That's why I think our tasting room is so perfect because it gives
people an opportunity to try wines of all price ranges," said
McLaughlin. "You can pay a tasting price for a more expensive
wine without having to buy the whole bottle."
Winding your way into wine country
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