friends bring food.....I need help

[TheEngineer]

A friend of mine is bring food over for the New Years dinner and she asked me to match. All dishes are self serve tapas style that will be brought out over the course of the evening so there is an opportunity to match wines with it. That apparently is my job. I'm okay with a few but totally befuddled with the rest...maybe its just to large amounts of dishes that she is planning and there is no particular order to them (I've removed the ones that I'm okay with alreayd...I can't wait to see my kitchen after this...). Please help.

Roasted corn, jicama, and mango salad

Crab salad bites on endive

Tuna and avocado tartare tostada

Jumbo shrimp wrapped with arugula and prosciutto

Seared petite lamb chops with rosemary balsamic reduction

Chicken, fig, and pancetta bites

[winoweenie]

Champagne....Champagne... Bubbly and fer me a Pinot. Happy there ENG. WW

[Drew]

Would rec. the 2002 Maxwell "Four Roads" Shiraz for the lamb dish which is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Viognier. Rich, well made and food friendly and should hold it's own with the balsamic reduction sauce...around $18 if you can find it. Here's the label.

http://www.winestar.com.au/images/maxwell2.jpg

Drew

[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 12-31-2006).]

[Innkeeper]

I'm thinking that no wine will really go with everything except mabey a sparkler.

Hoomsoever, if see is bringing tapas, you might just serve Spanish and hope for the best. Either a Monastrell or a Garnacha or a combination thereof might just be the answer.

[VouvrayHead]

Just a quiet idea amid you all who know more than me, but...
Why not Catalonian white?

Can Feixes Penedes or
Torres Vina Esmerelda

The Penedes is bone dry and steely, would work with crab, shrimp, and tuna?
the Esmerelda is 85% moscatel, smells fruity and is quite dry with good body. Might work really well with the salad and chicken/fig in particular...

[TheEngineer]

Many Many THANKS!! I appreciate the help.

Putting sparklers in the fridge now and standing up some pinot and Shiraz now.

Also got an old white Rioja, a Verdejo, some Gwertz and rieslings (for a curry tart that she is making), and a few aging cabs too. That should round out the package tonight. Many thank again!