Miki Webber and Peter Klein recently purchased a 1920s Spanish-style fourplex. Their apartment is loaded with character, but the twosome hasn’t been able to capitalize on the charming kitchen. Last summer they had a magical vacation in Tuscany and would love to re-create that ambiance in their kitchen.

The Dilemma

Lee Snijders meets with his design team, Charles Burbridge and Summer Baltzer, to discuss his plan for transforming the plain white space into an Italian kitchen. They plan to warm up the space with a yellow color on the walls, create a message board to help with organization, transform a glass-fronted cabinet into a wine rack and redo the kitchen table to reflect the Tuscan theme.

The Solution

An inviting Tuscan look is created with the following design elements:

The textured walls are warmed up with a yellow paint, creating a fresco look without much effort.

Burbridge transforms the dining table with a mosaic tiled top. He wraps 4 x 4 tiles in a towel and breaks them into pieces with a hammer. He lines the edge with black disc-shaped tiles, and then adheres the colored pieces in a random pattern, graduating the color toward the outside edge. The table is finished after he applies black grout and buffs the surface. He also creates a matching mosaic tile backsplash for over the stove.

To complete the dining set, Baltzer finishes two new chairs to coordinate with the rustic look.

Baltzer also creates a message board out of stretched canvas, batting and paisley fabric. The batting and fabric is stretched over the canvas and stapled to the back. Ribbons are added in a crisscross pattern and also stapled to the back. For a tufted look, she stitches upholstered buttons onto the front where the ribbons intersect.

Snijders converts the glass-fronted cabinet into a wine rack. He creates the wineglass storage by gluing and stapling 1/2″ square wood pieces to birch plywood. The wine bottles are stored in wood slats made of plywood. The doors are removed, and the interior is painted black to match the table and countertops. He also adds a spot for storing wine glasses.

Colorful tiles are arranged on the arch above the kitchen to add color and help tie in the Tuscan theme. The old tea cart that served as a kitchen catchall is replaced with a dark-stained armoire that has room for their china. The windows are dressed with wine-colored panels and wrought-iron rods. A shelf above provides display space for accessories that fit the theme.

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If you love wine and are creative with a video camera, we invite you to submit your wine video to Wine Spectator’s Fourth Annual Video Contest.

We are looking for short, original videos that are educational and entertaining. Subjects may include interviews with winemakers, chefs or sommeliers, tours of wineries, tastings, wine and food pairings or simply your wine adventures. For examples and inspiration, watch last year’s finalists and the other free videos at WineSpectator.com/video.

How is the winner picked? Wine Spectator’s editors will select the finalists’ videos and post them on WineSpectator.com. Visitors to the site can view them and vote for their favorite.

Here are the key contest dates for 2010 …

• Submission deadline: Tuesday, August 31
• Finalists revealed and voting begins: Monday, September 13
• Voting closes and Runners-Up announced: Monday, September 20
• Winner announced and Honorable Mentions go live: Tuesday, September 21

Everyone who enters gets a prize! Plus, there will be big prizes for the finalists and the winner!

Videos must be less than three minutes long and cannot contain any copyrighted or defamatory material. View the complete contest rules, prize and submission information. If you have questions, contact us at video@winespectator.com.

Last year’s winning video, “Paso Rap,” was a high-energy music video about Paso Robles terroir and the friendly competition between the east side and west side vineyards. Remember to submit your wine video by August 31.

Submit your video here!

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Ingredients

   • 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
   • 1 1/2 cups half-and-half (light
     cream)
   • 3/4 cup sugar
   • Flavoring (choices follow)
   • 3 large eggs
   • Wine (choices follow)

Preparation

1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, mix milk, half-and-half, and sugar. Stir often over medium heat until mixture just begins to steam and bubbles form at pan edge.

2. In a bowl, whisk about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into eggs, then return mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, until custard is thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a smooth, velvety layer, about 20 minutes. Immediately, set pan in ice water and stir often until custard is slightly cool, about 10 minutes, or until cold, about 30 minutes. Or cover and chill cool custard at least 3 or up to 24 hours.

3. Mix wine with custard and pour into a 1-quart or larger ice cream freezer container (self-refrigerated or frozen cylinder, or use 8 parts crushed ice to 1 part salt).

4. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions or until dasher is difficult to turn. Serve ice cream soft-frozen. Or, if making ahead, pack ice cream in a freezer container and freeze airtight up to 1 week.

Flavoring and Wine Choices:

Orange Muscat ice cream with bittersweet chocolate: Add 2 teaspoons grated orange peel to milk mixture before heating. To chilled custard, add 1 cup Orange Muscat wine. When mixture is partially frozen, add 4 ounces finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, then continue as directed. Makes about 6 cups.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 198 cal., 39% (77 cal.) from fat; 4.1g protein; 8.6g fat (4.6g sat.); 27g carbo (0g fiber); 45mg sodium; 67mg chol.

Port ice cream with cinnamon and vanilla: Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 split vanilla bean (about 4 in. long) to milk mixture before heating. Remove vanilla bean from chilled custard; scrape seeds free and return them to custard along with 1 cup port. Freeze as directed. Makes 4 cups.

Per 1/2-serving: 230 cal.; 31% (71 cal.) from fat; 5.2g protein; 7.9g fat (4.3g sat.); 27g carbo (0g fiber); 68mg sodium; 100mg chol.

Cream sherry ice cream with double ginger: Add 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger to milk mixture before heating. Pour chilled custard through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard ginger. Stir in 1/2 cup cream sherry and 1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger. Freeze as directed. Makes 4 cups.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 241 cal., 29% (71 cal.) from fat; 5.2g protein; 7.9g fat (4.3g sat.); 34g carbo (0g fiber); 73mg sodium; 100mg chol.

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To throw a wine tasting party can be a great way to try out new wines with family or friends. So how do you host a wine tasting that’s a total success? Well there are actually a lot of ways to plan a fabulous cheese and wine party at home. However, the very first thing you’ll have to do is determine what kind of wine tasting party you want to host.

While a home wine tasting party is fun no matter how you plan it –how can you go wrong with some tasty wines, some snacks, and good company?– sometimes adding a wine tasting party theme can make things a lot more interesting.

Below, we’ll take a look at several wine tasting party themes that you can choose from. But if you’re looking for more general advice on choosing wine for a party, you’ll find it here.

How to Throw a Wine Tasting Party with a Theme

Setting up to throw a wine tasting party. There are lots of different themes you can choose when you throw a wine tasting party at home. These themes not only make the whole experience a little bit more fun for your guests, they can also make choosing wines and snacks easier for you. And let’s face it, with the approximately 3 bazillion choices out there, anything that narrows it down will help.

Some fun wine tasting themes are:

Old and New. This event shares classic old world wines compared to new emerging wines popular in wine culture right now. You can choose them all from one particular wine-producing region, or go all over the world.

Girls and Guys Wine Tasting. Throw a wine tasting party that’s also a competition! Have the guys and the girls blind taste different wines, and see which group does better. A great way to get together with your best friends and learn about wine together.

Cheese and Wine Party. Perhaps the most classic of wine parties, here you sample pairings of various cheese with wine. Take some time to research which cheeses go best with which wines, and tell your guests to pay attention to how different cheeses affect the flavor of different wines.

Price vs. Quality Wine Tasting. In the wine world, price doesn’t always make for a great wine. At this event, you’ll try a few higher end wines against similar wines from more common labels. You can choose either to make it a blind tasting to see if your guests can tell the difference, or simple let everybody enough the different range of wines.

Blind Wine Tasting Party. This can be a very fun way to throw a wine tasting party. Your guests are never shown the wine labels. As they try different wines, they can rate the flavor, aroma, etc. on voting cards. If they think they know what wine they’ve tasted, they can try guessing that too. Some people make a wine tasting party game out of it– a competition that can be a ton of fun.

A Bit of the Bubbly. Champagne tasting can be a little more expensive than some other types of wine parties, but it’s a great option as a special occasion party (anniversary would be one example). I’ve played this one on New Years Eve and had a really fun time!

Wine Brewing Party. Pick out a class of wine and do your research or get an expert to come in and teach everyone how to brew that wine at home!

A Wine Tasting Party Warm Up
When everyone arrives, it’s great to have a wine trivia game. Come up with some questions about wine, wine drinking, and wine making, and separate your guests into teams to answer. This acts as an icebreaker and again focuses on the wine. Want to raise the stakes? Pick up a nice bottle of wine as a prize for the winner.

Planning Your Wine Tasting Party

The most important planning element to consider when you throw a wine tasting party is, of course, your menu! This whole evening will revolve around the wines and foods you’ve chosen, so they need to be chosen with the most care.

Choosing Wines and Foods

Of course, the types of wines and cheeses you choose are going to depend greatly on what kind of wine tasting party you’re planning. If the highlight, for instance, is on wine and cheese together, be sure to choose a complementary cheese to go with each wine. Either way, be sure to choose wines that cover a wide array of flavors, bodies, and types. If too many of your wines are too similar, your wine tasting party might end up a little boring.

If your party is going to go on for a long time, you also want to make sure your guests are well fed. Cheese is great, but you’ll also want to offer up some party appetizers. Hot appetizers are great, but cold appetizers tend to be simplest.

No matter what food you serve when you throw a wine tasting party, you need to be sure to have a few mild cheeses and some crackers or plain bread on hand. They’re a great way to cleanse the palate.

What Kinds of Wines You Need

Not sure how to get started? For a casual wine tasting party with about 12-15 guests, you’ll want to taste about 4-6 different varieties of wine. There are several different ways you can go about making you choice… but be sure to keep your theme in mind. These are:

Horizontal Wine Tasting: Tasting one variety of wine of the same year from several different wineries in a region. Or try one variety of wine from several different regions around the world.

Vertical Wine Tasting: Tasting several different varieties from a single winery.

Wine Tasting by Country or Region: Is there a wine country you haven’t experienced enough? Set up a tasting of the wines of Spain or Chile, with a wine from each region or of each variety.

An Overview Wine Tasting: If it’s a casual tasting with casual wine drinkers, do an overview of the most popular white and red wine varieties. Go to my Choosing Wine page to learn a bit more about the most popular red and white varieties.

When you throw a wine tasting party with an “Overview” theme, you’ll generally choose from the following all-star varieities:

Red Wines:
* Cabernet Sauvignon (red)
* Pinot Noir (red)
* Merlot (red)
* Syrah or Shiraz (red)

White Wines:
* Chardonnay (white)
* Riesling (white)
* Sauvignon Blanc (white)
* Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio (white)

How Much Wine do you Need?

To make sure you have enough wine, you want about 2 ounces of wine per type, per person. 3 ounces if your plan on serving fewer than 4-5 wines.

Tasting Your Wines

Getting thirsty? Now comes the best part of a wine tasting party: tasting your wines! Read on for a few tips on how to go about it:

Progression of Wines

When its time to start tasting the wines you’ve chosen, you’ll want to start with dryer white ones and slowly progress to sweet or light red wines to the full bodied red wines. Within a certain kind or body of wine, you’ll also want to taste from young vintages to older ones. And don’t forget to use palate cleansers like plain bread and sparkling water!

How to Taste

When you throw a wine tasting party, another important step is teaching your guests the most crucial elements of wine tasting: Look at the wine, it’s color and clarity. Smell it. Let the wine aerate by swirling it in the glass. Smell it again, and notice how the aromas strengthen. Try to see what notes you can smell in the wine, from woods and spices, to fruit scents, to strange, surprising aromas. Then, finally, taste it (and, if applicable, try the suggested food to go with it). Taste again to see how the food changes the flavor of the wine, and how the wine changes the flavor of the food.

Scoring Wines

Some cheese and wine parties are just about enjoying the wines and giving your opinions. But you can also give people wine scoring cards or pages to use. Here, they can write down what they do or do not like about a wine, and give it a score of 1-10.

The Follow-Up

Last but not least, you’ll also want to have a wine and food list handy to give your guests as they leave. This way, they have the information they need if they really love a particular wine, and can refer to it at a later date. You could also send a post party email sharing people’s reactions to the various labels and pairings.

Wine and Food for a Party Table

Decorating for a Wine Tasting Party

The decor you choose when you throw a wine tasting party can be as unique as the theme itself. Giving the room a feel of the old world with rope wrapped Chianti bottles (made into candle holders), napkins featuring grapevines, or anything else you can find at 2nd hand stores to round out the ambiance is fantastic.

But remember that the wine is the star of this show. The decorations simply pull different senses into it. Don’t forget the glass charms so everyone knows whose glass is whose (if possible gift these as a favor!).

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While any type of alcohol can lead to a hangover, wine can cause a particularly bad one. Red wine will cause a worse hangover than white wine, due to its higher level of fermentation. The only surefire way to steer clear of a hangover is to avoid alcohol altogether. The severity of your hangover will depend on a number of factors such as how much you drank, what you ate beforehand, how old you are and how much you weigh. There are, however, many things you can do to cure a hangover once you have one.

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by Randal Caparoso

So, gentlemen: for once, you’ve had the presence of mind to make dinner reservations ahead of time for Valentine’s night – the second busiest day of the year (after Mother’s Day) for restaurants.

So what are you going to do if you know she prefers wine, but you know absolutely nothing about it? Tell her, “Why don’t we just go for two pints of Guinness?” Wrong! If your dining partner is truly important to you, it is definitely to your advantage to whisper the three magic words: “Let’s have wine.” And this I can say after 25+ years in the restaurant business: women prefer wine!

Which is not to say that the male always does the wine ordering in restaurants. There are, in fact, many women who love to gaze at wine lists. But the fact is that the custom of men actually doing the ordering is still considered as natural as opening doors, carving turkeys, and leading on the dance floor. You don’t have to follow it, but that’s the way it’s usually done.

Since you have to start somewhere, here are ten easy steps to finding the right wine, and perhaps the key to a heart:

1. Bone up. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes to prepare by absorbing the introduction of a wine book. It’s called a bookstore, or library (the wine books are always in the food sections). For just $11, for instance, you can find all the information you need in a nifty little paperback called The Wine Avenger by Willie Gluckstern. But if you don’t want to leave the comfort of your desk, there’s always the net. For a perfectly easy introduction to wine, try out Learn About Wine on The Wine Lovers’ Page.

So now that you’ve done some homework, here’s what you do once you’ve made it to the restaurant, and you’ve just been seated:

2. First, a waiter will approach to ask if you would like to start with a cocktail or glass of wine. Rule #1: remember that you are there to please your date, not a server. So without breaking the gaze between your eyes, the thing to do is to simply ask, “Would you care to join me with a glass of Champagne?” If she agrees, ask your waiter for either two glasses, or two splits (the miniature airplane sized bottles), of sparkling wine. In the nicest restaurants, they will usually serve you some kind of French Champagne ($10-$20 a glass). In middle range restaurants, it’s usually a California sparkler ($6-$10). Don’t worry about the quality, since both are usually quite good and make perfect ice breakers — and you’re on your way!

Next, you should be looking at your dinner menus. Perhaps you’re worried about remembering what goes with what. Is it white wine with white meat, or red wine with fish? What if she orders pasta, or veal Marsala — are these white wine or red wine dishes? The answer is — don’t sweat it! Just follow these guidelines:

3. Plan to order a full bottle of wine. Why? Bottles are so much more romantic than glasses! Don’t worry about quantity. If you say something like, “Let’s not worry about finishing it, since the best wines always come in full bottles,” how do you think she’ll feel? Do words like dashing and debonair mean anything? But do not, under any circumstance, ask for a doggy bag for any leftover wine; since a cultivated man is aware of the fact that in most states (including Hawaii) it is against the law to leave a restaurant with an open bottle of wine. Bottom line: drink slowly, and only as much as you safely can.

4. Do take a good look at the wine list, whether you know what you’re looking at or not. The important thing is to look good doing it — this is romance, after all, not a driver’s test. You might consider practicing beforehand — furrowing your brows, raising one side or the other or glancing up with a smile as you turn the pages. You should also remember this: no matter where you are, do not order anything less than $25 — because if she should happen to find out, you’re just not going to look good. I suggest a bottle for around $28-$38, which is the most sensible price range for this day and age, even among connoisseurs. Oh, you can bump it up an extra $5 or $10; but anything more than that could very well be perceived as overkill or, worse yet, an indication of shortcomings.

5. Now it’s time to order the wine. If you’ve already forgotten what little you’ve learnt, don’t panic. Just follow this full-proof method: select one of the two most food-flexible wines in the world, one of which is a white, and the other a red. So you ask her, “Would you prefer a white or a red?” If she says white, look for a Riesling (pronounced “REEZ-ling”) type wine from Germany; preferably one that says it is of Kabinett or Qualitatswein (”quality wine”) level. German Rieslings tend to be a little sweet and extremely light, yet have a crisp, steely quality that allows them go with an amazing variety of dishes. So matter which dish she orders – pasta, salad, meats, and even vegetarian — somehow a Riesling will complement it.

6. If she says she prefers a red, look for a Pinot Noir (”PEE-no NWAH”)from either California or Oregon. Like Rieslings, Pinot Noirs tend to be light yet zesty enough to go with everything from fish to red meats. And like high quality Rieslings, you can find any number of rich and elegant $28-$38 Pinot Noirs in most fine restaurants. Just remember that it’s up to her – white wine or red, Riesling or Pinot Noir.

7. Say you are hopeless, and can’t navigate through a wine list no matter what. Then it doesn’t hurt to ask for help! I believe most women are impressed by that anyhow – like asking for directions on the road. Again, the idea is to look good doing it. Call over your waiter – or in the finest places, the sommelier (”so-mo-YAY”), also known as a wine steward – and ask for a recommendation for a good, medium range German Riesling or American style Pinot Noir. Practice this – letting the names roll off your tongue like a native language, maybe even with a politician’s wave of the hand. If you must, invite the sommelier to look over your shoulder and point out his suggestions on the list. Make it look like a conspiracy – like the two of you are cooking up something truly special.

8. Now I need to prepare you for two possible curves; because as in all things, not everything goes as planned. First, if your date happens to say she likes a very DRY white wine – as opposed to a slightly sweet Riesling – then the coolest, most food-versatile dry white you can possibly order is a Pinot Gris (PEE-no GREE) from Oregon or California, also known as Pinot Grigio (GREE-gee-o) when it comes from Italy. Secondly, if you happen to be in an Italian restaurant, the best possible red wine to order is a Chianti Classico (kee-AHN-tee CLASS-see-ko) – which, like Pinot Noir, is amazing with both fish and red meats, only even better in the context of ingredients like olive and truffle oils, balsamic vinegars, garlic, pesto, porcini, etc.

9. The waiter or sommelier will then wish to perform the serving ritual; which is when he shows you the bottle, opens it, and asks you to taste and approve it. There are few ordeals (like circumcision) worse than this, and so the least made of the entire rigmarole the better. So when he brings over the bottle, look him straight in the eye and ask, “Is this the wine we ordered?” This will make him read the label himself and tell you yes or no, and all you need to do is nod knowingly. Then you ask him to do this simple favor: “Please open the bottle and leave it on the table” (or in the ice bucket, if it’s a white). Once he has departed, you can go ahead and do the honors for her and for you — the proper amount to pour, by the way, is no more than half-way at a time — before raising your glasses with an appropriate, or even rakishly clever, toast.

10. Finally, the finishing touch: how many women don’t like chocolate, or sweets in general? Not many at all. So if you really want to make a mark, do not automatically order coffee with your chocolate desserts – but a small glass of Tawny Port from Portugal. Tawny Ports are sweet red wines bolstered with a little extra alcohol and intensity of flavor which make them absolutely divine with chocolate. Some say better than… well, need I say? There is a good reason why food and wine matches are often described in terms as passionate as love. Because in this day and age, it’s often as good as it gets!

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~ 2007 Reserve Merlot                      “90”

This red is balanced and dense, with ripe plum and black cherry framed by smoke and mineral notes. Sleek, focused and expressive. Available Now – $35.

~ 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon             “89”

Black cherry, pencil lead, light herb and smoke notes mingle in this firm, balanced red. This is juicy, with a lively acidity and floral finish. Release Date November 2010

~ 2006 Meritage Flight                     “87”

Cherry and currant flavors are framed by smoke and tobacco notes. This is brisk and juicy, with some concentration. Available Now – $35.

~ 2007 Carmenere                             “86”

This medium bodied red shows good density, with cherry and berry fruit and notes of herb and tar. This is firm yet polished. Available Now – $24.

~ 2007 Cabernet Franc                     “86”

Cherry, chocolate and light herbal flavors mingle in this round red. This has good acidity and just enough tannins for grip. Release date August 2010

~ 2007 Merlot                                          “85”

Black cherry and currant flavors are overshadowed now by char and espresso flavors in this medium-bodied red. The light, firm tannins and fresh acidity is balanced.

Release date August 2010.