July 22, 2006

Wine News: Spice up your wine party with an offbeat theme

"Home wine-tasting parties can be short on humor, long on tedious descriptions and a game of grape one-upmanship.

But who needs that? So call up your friends and throw a wine-tasting party complete with disguised bottles that guests can rate.

But for a wild twist, have everybody select a bottle with a critter on the label - the hottest marketing tool in the wine world today.

You can find a veritable menagerie, with everything from dogs and cats to frogs, loons, bears, reptiles, roosters, horses, moose and a pig.

Then, you have to draw up a plan. Enter party pro Jason Kugel, 33, who has an edge over most people because he tastes wine all the time as buyer at Merchant's Fine Wine in Dearborn, Mich., and, on weekends, expedites and garnishes dinner entrees at a Royal Oak, Mich., restaurant. He's passionate about wine, cooking, and pairing food and wine."

Full article here.