The boy and I went to a wine tasting party this past weekend.It's quite a fun idea, so I thought I would share!

How to throw a wine tasting party

1. Everyone brings a bottle somewhere between $10-16. As soon as you get to the party, the host/hostess covers the label with paper and numbers it.

2. You throw some money in to a pot, grab some paper and a pen and start tasting wines. Make sure you write down what you thought of each.

3. Everyone votes on two, a first favorite and a second favorite. The winner gets the majority of the money and second place gets a little bit as well. The money makes it interesting, trust me.

4. I think it's key not to invite too many people, keep it intimate. We tasted ten wines the other night and believe me, I was a little wined out when the night was over. I just don't know how to taste and spit out like the pros.

Believe it or not, James and I won! Yes we did!

Find out about the winning bottle below...

What to serve

You don't want your guests getting too intoxicated, now do you. Here are some ideas of what to serve...

1.White Bean and Rosemary Bruschetta

Gently toss drained and rinsed contents of 12.7-ounce jar of white beans with 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt, and spoon onto toasted baguette slices. Makes about 12
{recipe via Martha Stewart}

2.Cheese Plate

Put out a selection of hard, medium and soft cheeses. Some Marcona almonds, figs, apricots and crackers.

3.Bacon Wrapped Dates

24 large moist dates, such as medjool
12 slices of bacon
2 oz. softened goat cheese
24 whole toasted unsalted almonds

a. Move oven rack to upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500 °.

b. Pit dates, tearing them open as little as possible. Set dates aside. Halve the 12 slices of bacon crosswise. Put the goat cheese into a pastry bag fitted with a round, plain 1⁄4" tip.

c. Stuff cavity of each date with 1 almond. Pipe goat cheese into each stuffed date. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around width of each date.

d. Put dates on a baking sheet, seam side down, at least 1⁄2" apart. Bake until bacon is golden and crisp, 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly before serving.

{recipe via Saveur}

The winning bottle...

Apothic Red $9.99

{Apothic Red reveals intense fruit aromas and flavors of rhubarb and black cherry that are complemented by hints of mocha, chocolate, brown spice and vanilla. The plush, velvety mouthfeel and smooth finish round out this intriguing, full-bodied red blend}

How we chose our bottle

We went to a local wine store, told the sales clerk about the party and he grabbed this bottle for us. He said "I'll split the money with you." Something about the bottle design and the name screamed Christian Audigier and I didn't want to believe it. A blend? Well, at least the label would be covered for the party. We went with it and I am glad we did. I guess you can't judge a wine by it's label {or name}.

Happy Weekend Everyone!!! xx