How to Throw a Glamorous Dinner Party with Wine

Chicago Cooking Examiner Talitha's Shrimp Ceviche.

In this economy, "dining in" is the new "dining out," and the dinner party is enjoying a burgeoning renaissance.  

The keys to throwing a dinner party that your guests will rave about are fresh ingredients, unpretentious menu items, and a special wine paired with each course. What could be more glamorous than enjoying a glass of something red, white, or bubbly that the chef (aka you) has specially paired with each dish?

At Just Grapes wine shop in Chicago, the staff love starting their own dinner parties by passing around a tray of sparkling wine, served of course in champagne flutes (Pier 1 offers a great selection of glassware for as little as $2 a glass). Served either with an appetizer or as you welcome guests into your home, nothing says "class," "style" or "fabulous" like an excellent sparkler. No, you don't have to spend a lot to find a good bubbly. Try an organic Argentinian sparkling Chardonnay, like Vida Organica from Mendoza, for only $11 a bottle. Proseccos from Italy and Cavas from Spain are affordable alternatives to Champagne, with excellent offerings available from $10. In fact, even Champagnes have come down in price given the recession; the toasty Duval Leroy "Paris" Cuvee is now available for under $30.

For your first course (aka appetizer), serve a light dish and pair it with a light white wine. You don't want your guests to be full before the main course is even served. A perfect, summery appetizer is Chicago Cooking Examiner Talitha Daelemans' Shrimp Ceviche. Offer this citrusy, tart and fresh dish (served cold) alongside a basket of warmed corn tortillas and a glass of an equally exotic wine. We love the made-for-seafood, aromatic 2007 Domaine Skouras Moschofilero from Peloponnese, Greece (available for around $12 at www.JustGrapes.net). Crisp and refreshing, it enhances the flavorful Ceviche. A citrusy Torrontes, like the affordable (under $12!) 2008 Urban Uco, will bring out the lime notes in the Ceviche marinade without overpowering the delicate avocado flavor. 

Fancy serving a soup or salad course? Summer is the perfect time to do it! A fresh mixed green salad, like Los Angeles Healthy Cooking Examiner Jilliana Miller's Grilled Apricot, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad, is light and refreshing, and pairs perfectly with a smoky, sensual Pinot Gris. The 2008 Ponzi Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley, Oregon, is a great option at around $13 a bottle. Or try a dry Rosé (yes, it's pink and no, it doesn't have to be sweet!). We love the pretty, mineral-laiden 2007 Reverdy Rose Sancerre from France's Loire Valley for only $14 a bottle. This Rosé is also complimentary to a cold soup course, like Raleigh Easy Meals Examiner Kendra Browning's Gazpacho. Flavorful, rich, and full of tomato, a dry Rosé will nicely round out the dish.

By now, you've served a lot of healthy, light fare and its time to rachet it up to a more substantive main course. Keep it fresh and summery by tossing Seattle Healthy Food Examiner Kristen Rezabek's Summer Grilled Veggies with Pistachio Pesto with angel hair pasta, and serve alongside Los Angeles Cooking Examiner Erika Kerekes' Thai Beef Skewers. This gives vegetarian diners a full meal in itself (and you can offer them an extra serving of veggies) and allows meat lovers to indulge in flavorful, zesty beef skewers. It also gives you room to step it up into red wine territory. With bold pesto pasta and Asian-seasoned meat, a Spanish red compliments both flavors. For a lighter wine, try a Garnacha, like the peppery (under $10!) Evodia Garnacha from Calatayud, Spain. For a bigger, bolder red, step up to a Tempranillo like the Ribeira del Duero 2006 Atalayas (about $16) or the recent NY Times-favorite Ribeira Sacra 2007 Vina Caneiro (about $20). These wines also work great if you opt for lamb skewers in lieu of beef.

The right glassware is key. Try these affordable Pier1 options.

The final course--dessert--shouldn't be a throwaway. This may well be how your guests remember the meal (how it ended), and simple breaking out a grocery store-bought pie will really kill the effort you put into the previous dishes. Martha Stewart recently published her recipe for Gingersnap Ice Cream Sandwiches, an adult take on a favorite childhood summer treat. Paired with an exciting dessert wine, like the exotic 2003 Philippe Delesvaux Clos de la Guiberderie with sensual notes of fig and marzipan (about $20 a bottle), your dessert course can be as classy as the rest of your meal.

Relying on local ingredients and affordable wines like those mentioned above, you can serve six to eight friends for under $100! Talk about recession-proof dining!