Appetizers For Wine

Picking The Right Snacks For Wine Tasting Is Easy

Inviting friends over for a wine tasting is a great way to get a fun party going. Obviously it requires a good selection of wine, but as a tasting host you'll also need to provide food for your guests. While most wine tastings don't feature full meals, you still want to provide great appetizers for wine tasting.

The Staff Of Life: Bread For All Seasons

The whole reason why food is an integral part of wine tasting is because you need to cleanse your palate in between wines. This allows you and your guests to fully appreciate the complexities of each vintage you sample. Although there are a thousand and one ways to cater a wine tasting, bread is the universal constant in all of them. There's no better palate cleanser than bread or crackers. The ideal bread for wine tasting is relatively bland and simple. Avoid heavy grains, flavors, and salt. Water crackers are an excellent option, requiring minimal preparation. Thin-sliced baguettes also perform admirably - just make sure the bread is fresh!

A Question Of Timing

Before you assemble the rest of your appetizers for wine tasting, you face an important question: How serious is this affair? Are you planning a casual party or entertaining serious wine enthusiasts? This is important because people who are truly obsessed with getting every possible nuance out of their wine don't want any competing flavors whatsoever. If your guests are truly dedicated, you'll want to plan out your appetizers to come strictly before and after the tasting itself. For more casual tastings, it's appropriate to offer a full slate of appetizers throughout.

Building Up Themes

Whether you're hosting obsessive tasters or casual drinkers, you'll make your appetizers memorable if you put some thought into selecting them. Cheese platters, olives, and nuts are all fixtures at wine tastings, and you won't go wrong making them available. Try to make some more distinctive selections that go along with the wines you're offering, though. Regional themes can be fun and tasty - try laying on a selection of antipasto to complement Italian wines, for instance. Putting flavors into opposition is also a good idea. If your wines lean towards the dry and sharp, pick out sweet appetizers to counterbalance them. Rich, fruity wines might do better with salty, savoury appetizers.

Whipping up a great wine tasting isn't all that tough. Selecting the right food is just a matter of paying attention to the wines you have to offer and picking the menu to match. If you put a little thought into it, your friends will be complimenting your culinary skills far into the future!