Wine Party!

Back in the day, when I had an office job and plenty of money to blow, my friends Juju, Sandy and I would throw together these giant parties. The first one was all Juju; she and her boyfriend hosted an orphan's Thanksgiving for all the out-of-towners who couldn't go back home. Even though I had family in town, I stopped by, and it was a great success. So over the next two years we hosted three more Thanksgivings (not the holiday, just what we called our parties), for between forty and sixty. Always, it was a great success, and the source of many fond memories.


After the last Thanksgiving fizzled (thanks, marketing!), I began planning a wine party. A slightly-over-the-top intimate affair, twelve people, six courses, six wines to pair. I never made the menu, but I even got as far as a reasonable budget, and solicited Juju. Unfortunately, neither of us had the money or time now that she was a big important adult with a job, and I was back to being a lowly college student and waitron.


But honey had the money, and after hearing me rhapsodize one too many times about my fantasy wine party, challenged me to do it, within budget. The catch? The guest list was now closer to 30 than 12.


Nonetheless, I rose to the challenge, we stayed within budget, and 27 of our closest friends came and got varying degrees of smashed with us. I consulted my manager with the catering experience on portions, but we still had about 4 pounds of london broil, a gallon bag of fried catfish, and a quart and a half of grated carrots (among other refugees) when we cleaned up the next morning.


Here, for posterity, is the menu, and the wine pairings:
McManis Viognier with Malaysian Curry Spring Rolls
Miguel Torres Santa Digna Rose with Catfish Mojo Tacos
Castle Rock Pinot Noir with Beef, Portobello, and Red Onion Lollipops
Gnarly Head Zinfandel with Lamb Quesadillas Spicy Tomato and Tzitziki Sauces
Banfi Brachetto d'Acqui Rosa Regale with Rasperry-Chocolate "Petit Fours"


The wines, simply put, were awesome. The wine director at Green's on Buford Highway is an incredible font of wisdom, and I recommend them to everybody. Everywhere. Also, I had help: A couple of Dans, a Mike, and the amazing Juju. And of course there were the homeowners, who let me take over and destroy their kitchen, and spend the whole night telling those who didn't know "No, it's not our house..."


Amazingly, I got offers to do another. Anyone with money is welcome to find me and convince me.