Merlot Wine Tasting Party

[Innkeeper]

Hi Bshort, and welcome to the Wine Board. Guess you don't realize it, but you asked a wide open question. First, what kind of a wine tasting? Is it an opportunity to taste some different merlots and eat food? Or is it to determine which of some different merlots are better than each other? Second, what kind of merlot are we talking about. Is it just some California or Northwest Merlots that are well laced with oak and go only with beef or lamb. Or are there some Pomerol or St Emilion; or Italian Collio or Collio Friuli, or South African Merlots involved?

If you are talking about judging wines, you just need bread. Hunks of quartered baguette work fine. If you want to just enjoy some balanced merlots with food, add some raw veggies, and mild cheeses. If you want to drink some highly oaked blockbuster merlots with food, add some dry beef sausage in small pieces, cubes of garlicy leftover leg of lamb, pop corn shrimp, sharp cheese, and other strongly flavored cold cuts.

Have a good time.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 02-27-2001).]