The power of wine
Long before we ever had the glimmer of an idea of opening the dinner party Mary and I entertained. A lot. The inspiration for the shop was commentary from our guests that “you guys throw the best dinner parties.” It was a great compliment, and we very much enjoyed doing it. Mary normally focused on setting the table and creating a wonderful mood with everything from art to music to flowers. My focus was on the food and wine and together they worked, we had a blast as did our guests, and they enjoyed the total experience.
Sometime later after leaving our first careers the idea of our shop became a more active thought. The name “the dinner party” seemed a natural. To date Mary’s primary focus both at the shop and when at home entertaining is the table and décor, mine the food and the wine. We still love doing it and bringing the full lifestyle of it all to our customers.
It shows, I think, the power of wine to change the mood, to pair not only with food but with the table, and to create a lifestyle built around entertainment. This power to me goes beyond the alcohol in the drink, and many times beyond the aromas, flavor profiles, textures and food pairing of wine. Wine as a beverage has tremendous power in all these regards, but it has the ability to go further when it interacts with our guests, the table and helps create the mood we are aiming for.
With our wine club and with our pairing suggestions we always account for the seasonal aspect of wine and entertaining. During summer here in North Idaho most of us are craving the outdoors. We head to our decks docks and boats to enjoy the glorious summers. Food more often is cooked on our backyard grills and dined on “al fresco” served on colorful paper and melamine. The wine suggestions are lighter bodied and more refreshing to match the mood and the venue.
Come this time of year our parties move indoors. The crowds may be a bit larger as friends and family gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the foods are richer, and the wines we choose are bolder. The color of wine is one of those aspects that at times is overlooked for contributing power to the experience. When you think of your fall table for Thanksgiving the deep reds and golds of leaves, and oranges of pumpkins and other produce look beautiful on table and plate. Add in the deep darker hued wines of varietals like Malbec and Zinfandel and napkins of rich jacquard to really create a lush table scape that your guests will love.
At Christmas all is sparkling and bright. Winter white table linens with sparkling napkin rings will enhance the celebratory mood. Add in some sparkling wine in a crystal flute and it enhances the entire table and the mood. When it comes to the main course nothing is more dramatic than a rich full bodied Cabernet or Merlot against the white back drop for some real drama.
Beyond just the color of wine though the label art contributes a great deal to continuing and enhancing the mood you create with your home and table décor. While we always strive to buy the best wine for the taste, it is possible to find a wine you love with a label that highlights your table’s color palate. You can adjust your table too to fit with some of your favorite wine labels by adding just an item or two like a serving piece, or your flower arrangement without making the commitment of switching up all of your dishes and linens.
The size of your wine bottle is another fun trick to setting the mood you seek. When you have a crowd coming for dinner select a magnum or even a 3 liter of wine and see how much fun your crowd has with these big bottles. Whites and reds full bodied and lighter bodied are all available in larger formats, and we carry an ample supply especially around the holidays. For one final enhancement get a wine writer pen and have all your guests sign the bottle when it is empty, it will provide a great trip down memory lane the next time you all gather.
Wine is indeed powerful. It elicits great passion from those who appreciate it, and its power goes well beyond the alcohol. Come by the shop to see how in combination with your table it can become a lifestyle that you will enjoy and will impress all your guests, year round!
If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.