Interactive Wine Tasting & Scavenger Hunt

This was the theme of a party I hosted in November.
Each Guest was assigned a number and sent the following menu/instructions.

Guest #1 Please Select: “A Dry Sparkling Wine”,
from any region you choose, except Champagne.
To be paired with: Deviled Eggs w/ Cream & “Caviar”.
Guest #2 Please Select: “An Off Dry White Blend from Alsace”
To be paired with: White Bean Toasts w/ Spicy Cucumbers.
Guest #3 Please Select: “A Full Bodied Merlot with Velvety Tannins”
from any region except CA or, WA
To be paired with: Grilled Potato and Shitake Perogies.
Guest #4 Please Select: “A Full Bodied, Spicy Red Blend”
from any region, south of the equator.
To be paired with: Little Pork Tamales w/ Red Chili Sauce
Guest #5 Please Select: “A Sweet Dessert Wine” Late Harvest or “Asti”
To be paired with: Cranberry Pear Tartlets

The guests were instructed to have fun & utilize their favorite Wine Steward or Specialty Wine shop to find wines from any wine growing region & any price level. They were also asked to bring their selection in an anonymous brown paper bag.

Everyone had a great time but, the results were mixed.

Guests 1&2 shopped together, with the help of a wine steward they brought a '99 Argyle Brut from Oregon, a good choice, but very safe. Their next purchase was a '04 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Gris which was from Alsace, but not the blend I had requested.
Guests 3&4 also shopped together at an "upscale" grocery chain, they had someone call for the wine steward, but no one came to assist them. So on their own with basic wine knowledge they came up with an '03 Concha y Toro Merlot from Chile (not the hit of the party) & an'03 Bodega Norton Malbec from Argentina, while not a blend, was a fun choice.
Guest 5 had the assistance of the most qualified wine steward, who selected an '04 Jackson Triggs Canadian Ice wine, that everyone liked.

For the decor: I set up the table like a formal tasting, lots of glasses, a tasting sheet for notes, crackers, water, and dump buckets, which no one used, of course.
I gave a little background and information on the wine/region as I poured each wine and served each course.
This would be a fun party for novices or experienced wine lovers.

This party can be yours! Interactive Scavenger Hunt and Tasting menu, Recipes, Tasting Sheets, Invitations all customed designed for you and your guests tastes and level of wine knowledge. Visit my profile and e-mail me today.

Sparkling Brunch and Walking Winery Tour

I post upcoming events on this very informative site, find me under
"other Oregon"
the Sparkling Brunch & Tour is something I will be conducting the last Sunday of every month, It should be a great time & no driving involved!! A different Oregon sparkling producer and different wineries will be featured, so each months tour will be different.



LocalWineEvents.comhttp://www.localwineevents.com/Wine and Food events by city, worldwide. Spirits and Beer events as well. Post your own event or sign up to be notified when new events are posted to your area.

"Official Business & Food"

I hosted the "City of McMinnville" for dinner and a meeting.
The Steiger Haus is a very good venue for business retreats, I think people feel more relaxed in a homelike environment.
The menu I created for this party I called "Latinesque"
Avocado & chipotle shrimp tostaditos
Roasted red pepper and potato soup w/ chili infused crema
Wine braised pork & wild mushroom tamales
Spiced yam puree, roasted asparagus
Chocolate spice cake, Mexican wedding cookies, Flan

Music on random: classical guitar instrumentals and Cesaria Evora
Decor: I wrapped juice glasses in some of the leftover cornhusks from the tamales & tied with a wine colored ribbon for candles, I used wine colored linens and covered the table in brown craft paper, followed by a wine runner.
I scattered assorted dried chilis on the dinner table and dessert/app table.

I did all the cooking and serving without staff, I would not recommend this unless you have background in the restaurant business. A family style party would be an easier option.
Most of this menu can be done ahead, and for sanities sake should be.

This particular party opted to bring their own wine.
If I hosted a similar party for pleasure I would have on hand: A bucket of icy cold Negro Modelo's with lime & a south of the equator syrah, (Errazuriz is pretty consistent) Or, if they were really good friends: Tyrus Evan, a Ken Wright label, makes a great "Claret" blend of Merlot, Cab, Cab Franc, & Malbec with some fun spice, try Del Rio "03. Or, Herradura Silver for some scratch margaritas.

This party can be yours!
For Sale, Latinesque Party:
Recipes, Shopping list, Timeline, 5 cd's worth of theme music, Cocktail ideas.

Greetings!
Welcome to Oregon Wine Country.

The goal of this blog is to:
Showcase a beautiful region, interesting people, stunning wine, produce and meats raised by friendly neighbors.
A lifestyle rich but unhurried.
Insight and tips for guests from near and far.

Based in McMinnville Oregon at
The Steiger Haus Bed and Breakfast, www.steigerhaus.com
A perfect base for touring the Willamette Valley, whatever your pleasure: wine, food or friends.


My background in the hospitality industry includes:
Winebuying, Bartending, Service and Kitchen.
No serious paper credentials or diplomas.
Just a love of good food, good wine and good living. Lots of time to taste and tour and a professional kitchen to practice in.

If you would like to arrange a private wine tour or host an event
please e-mail me direct.