DINNER PARTY THEMES AND OTHER IDEAS
Below, and throughout our GEMINI content, you’ll see we have assigned Jacob’s Creek to the casual side of entertaining with wine, while Wyndham Estate has taken the formal. It’s up to you: casual, formal, maybe you’ll both ways. That’s really none of our business. Enjoy!
MUSIC
We're constantly exploring musical genres to set the tone for our tours and dinner parties. In the case of the GEMINI Tour, our paths diverge….
Casual
It’s all about the BBQ and patio, so plug in the boom box and turn up the Aussie rock-n-roll! AC/DC, INXS, Men Without Hats, Midnight Oil!
History of OZ Rock Through the Eyes of AC/DC’s Angus Young
Formal
Conversation across the diner table calls for something more ambient, something more conducive to absorbing the subtly of communication through candid dialogue and body language…Jazz.
The Australian Jazz Archive
ORDERING YOUR WINE
Basically, there are 4 - 5 glasses of wine in every bottle, so we suggest you order 6 bottles of wine for every 4 - 8 people. Make sure you order enough to allow everyone to experiment. Remember, you don't have to finish every opened bottle of wine or polish off every glass that is poured. Below, we'll supply more tips on dump buckets, responsible hospitality and how to store opened, unfinished wine.
As far as the cost of wine, and if appropriate, you might want to make arrangements in advance with your friends that go beyond just assigning dishes for the evening. You may want to determine the overall cost of wine in advance and divide evenly among your guests. If your guests are online, you can coordinate your mixer using Yahoo Groups. And when it comes to collecting the bucks, it can be as simple as having them ante-up as they walk in the door. We also suggest you make it fun by creating a donation tin for Bacchus, the God of Wine. Be creative.
STORING YOUR WINE
Once you've purchased your wines and checked your order, keep them in the box until the day of your dinner party. Unless you are blessed with a wine cellar, just shove the box in the back of a cool closet. On the day of your dinner party, be sure to pull the white wines out and place in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before dinner. If you happen to forget, or are running late, chilling white wines in a bucket of ice and water will have them ready to sip in 20 minutes.
SETTING THE WINE TABLE & CHILLING THE WINE
Casual
Pre-chill wines in the refrigerator or ice chest. Create a centralized wine bar in a shaded area. About twenty minutes before guests arrive, open all wines at once and gently replace their corks into the neck. Replacing the corks will guard against spills, while allowing you to re-cork any leftover wine at the end of the evening (more on this later). Have an ice chest loaded with ice to keep you white wines chilled. If it’s a warm day, keep your red wines on top of the ice to keep them cool -– red wines should not be warm.
Additionally, one of our favorite casual tips for chilling wines comes from our friend the Surreal Gourmet, Bob Blumer. He loves recycling those BIG stewed tomato cans and using them as a chilling bucket and/or dump bucket on the patio. Using these as dump buckets allows guests to taste and dump any wines as they move through the line up. We suggest you keep tastes small until guests find what they like. When they find what they like, then pour a full glass. You may also want to post the GEMINI winemaker cheat sheets around your wine bar for easy reference and to encourage comments. Above all, enjoy the fruit of the vine!
Formal
Pre-chill wines in the refrigerator. About twenty minutes before guests arrive, open all wines at once and gently replace their corks into the neck. Replacing the corks will guard against spills, while allowing you to re-cork any leftover wine at the end of the evening (more on this later).
If you order more than one of each wine, keep the extras in reserve and open appropriately. Place three wine glasses in front of each place setting to allow for comparative tasting. Randomly place the bottles around the table so guests can choose, sip and pass as desired. For chilling on the table, use a Champagne bucket with a linen napkin wrapped around the neck of the bottle to absorb condensation and prevent dripping on your guests.
We also recommend Champagne buckets on the table as dump buckets, so your guests can taste and dump any wines as they move through the line up. We suggest you keep tastes small until guests find what they like. When they find what they like, then pour a full glass to enjoy. Encourage comments. Refer to the winemaker cheat sheets and other notes. Above all, enjoy the fruit of the vine!
Re-Corking the Leftovers
As we mentioned above, don't throw away your corks. If you have leftover wines at the end of the evening, you can re-cork the bottles and stick them in the fridge--even red wines. They'll easily last 3 - 5 days. You might also divvy up the wines at the end of the evening and send them home with friends--as long as the bottles are re-corked, stored in a locked trunk of a car and the driver is sober.
GLASSWARE
Casual
Keep it simple. In fact, for outdoor entertaining, we suggest you follow the Italian lead: go for the Chianti glass, rocks glass or tumbler. Eliminating stemware creates a comfortable atmosphere and reduces fear of breakage.
Formal
Hey, I have 10 Friends coming over...That's 30 Glasses! No, we don't necessarily suggest you go out and buy a case of wineglasses. Simply ask guests to bring 3 wine glasses of their own. It's even better if the glasses they bring have a story attached to them. Once everyone's had a few sips and bites, encourage guests to start sharing stories by offering a toast and a story of your own.
ENTERTAINING WITH GAMES
Casual
You’re outdoors, which means you probably have a little room to play. And sure, it’s always fun to throw things. We suggest the Impossible Ring Toss game. Think carnival game: use empty wine bottles and plastic bracelets from the Dollar store. The plastic and glass make for a lively game. We especially like using one big bottle, like a double magnum for the target. Gather some door prizes, and then step back and toss.
Formal
Let’s talk parlor-type games. There are now multiple board games on the market with wine themes. Here’s a web page with lots of links to wine games for post-dessert entertainment: http://spotlightongames.com/list/wine.html
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TIPS ON SERVING THE FOOD & ASSIGNING RECIPES
Casual
Don’t even bother thinking “food and wine” pairing when hanging casual on the patio. Encourage your guests to eat and drink what they like. Take advantage of Jacob’s Creek recipes <coming soon) and let the fun flow.
Formal
Wyndham Estate has offered some wonderful recipes (coming soon). You may want to present your own recipes, or mix and match. It’s your call. Note that if a particular dish has been created as someone's favorite pairing, that's great. However, make sure to taste several wines with all the dishes, or course by course. It's all about personal preferences and exploration! Again, if your guests are online, you may want to divvy up the menu using email or Yahoo Groups and assign the making of the dishes to your friends and guests.
