(NAPSA)—A growing number of people who enjoy good food and good wine—and learning about both—are forming dinner and wineclubs. Club membersoften take turns hosting get-togethers, which are essentially extended dinner parties built around a specific topic or theme. Typical topics for an evening might include theming the dinner and wine selections after a specific country or focusing on wine education, such as how best to serve and pair wine with food. Here are sometips: Serving Wine White wines taste best chilled and should be refrigerated for 45 to 90 minutes prior to serv- ing. For a quick chill, place bottles in a bucket of ice water for 10 minutes. Red wines demonstrate full flavor at a temperature of 65 degrees. Ideally, red wine stored at room temperature should be refrigerated for 20 minutes before serving. * Open wine a half-hour before serving to allow it to “breathe.” Air revives the wine, opening up its aromas and allowingthe flavors to mellow. Fill wine glasses slightly less than half full, which allows room for wine to continue to breathe as it is consumed. One 750ml bottle of wine will yield four 6-ounce or five 5-ounce glasses. A safe estimate when entertaining is a half bottle of wineper guest per hour. Pairing Wine And Food Think of wine as a condiment— it should complement a dish. The general rule is to achieve a balance—wine should not overpower the food, nor should the food overpower the wine. Here are some tips on selecting a wine to go with a particular dish or course. Let the way the dish is prepared help to guide your wine selection. For example, recipes requiring poaching or steaming pair best with delicate, lighter When pairing wine and food, think of the wine as a condiment. The right match will accentuate the unique characteristics and flavors of the food as well as the wine. wines. Recipes including grilling, roasting or sauting techniques pair best with bolder wines. For hot or spicy dishes, balance the intensity and flavor by pairing with a sweeter wine. For instance, try pairing a Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Riesling with spicy Thai or Indian food. Acidic wines, such as Sauvi- gnon Blanc, cut saltiness and sweetness in dishes and also offset oily foods. * Tannic wines, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon, will soften bold or sweet foods and pair well with hearty entrees or rich desserts. When serving more than one wine during a meal, start with lighter wines and move toward fuller-bodied wines. Dry wines should be served before sweet wines. For those who would like help establishing a club, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi has created a resourceful guide available on its Web site. The Woodbridge Dinner & Wine Club has menu suggestions, recipes, shoppinglists and wine pairing, along with tips for entertaining and starting your own club. To learn more, visit www. woodbridgewines.com.
