SUB-ZERO WINE BLOG

When tasting, I like to be sure that I serve the very best things first. In this country we put out too many damn hors d’oeuvres. Your guests come over and they’re starving so they start knocking back dips, chips and guacamole.

Thirty minutes later they come up for air and say “Oh, that was great, I just needed something to take the edge off.” No. As a host you want your guests to have that edge from the get go. So lose the super bowl food and get them to the real deal right away. That means the good wine needs to be tasted within the first 30 minutes. Too often we build a dinner where we start with the simple things first. By a time an hour is gone your appetite -- which started at a 10 -- is now at a 6. So your guests are tasting a main course with an appetizer half as good as it was at the start.

If you’re going to entertain someone, give them the best thing they’re going to get all night within the first 30 minutes and you can’t miss.