1 WINE GUIDES AND TIPSBefore issuing any invitations, refresh your knowledge with a quick dip into the wine writer Tom Cannavan’s free online course (at www.wine-pages.com). Here you can get to grips with grapes, wine styles and manufacturing techniques. A constant and specific temperature is essential to ensure that wines are at their best, so be sure to read his do’s and don’ts of serving. At the slickly designed www.superplonk.com, Malcolm Gluck keeps things cheap and cheerful, but choosy, too. You can search for the best deals at your local supermarket with the interactive wine finder, or browse articles that aim to defuse the snobbery surrounding wine appreciation. A subscription to the site (£5 for four months) permits you to e-mail specific queries to Gluck and read 12,000 wine reviews. At Jancis Robinson’s elegant Purple Pages (www.jancisrobinson.com), a charge of £19 per quarter gives access to her frank opinions, a knowledgeable wine community and the online edition of her encyclopaedic Oxford Companion to Wine — precisely the information to help you play expert host.
2 ONLINE SOMMELIER
Buying a mixed case will make light work of selecting wines for your tasting party, and there is a formidable, expertly chosen range at www.booths-wine.co.uk. If you have a genuine intention to educate as well as entertain, look to the Classic Grapes selection (£60), which contains two alluring examples each of key varietals such as chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The Spanish Explorer case (£54), meanwhile, will evoke a holiday mood. Plan ahead when ordering from this appealingly straight- forward site, as parcels may take up to 10 days to arrive. Nationwide delivery costs £5. The sampler cases at www.wine-pages-shop.com are also worth inspecting. Every couple of months, this site offers a small but intriguing new range from established retailers such as Majestic, normally at a reduced price — and delivery is free. The Here Comes Summer selection (£54) is sure to get conversation flowing, as guests happily compare summery sauvignon blanc from New Zealand with “musky, floral” Chilean gewürztraminer.
3 RIGHT GLASSWARE
There is a science to wine tasting, and the correct shape of glass is essential for trapping aromas so that you can sniff and savour fully. Riedel (www.riedel-store.co.uk) is the most revered name in wineglasses, and its unusual stemless O range proves that you don’t have to sacrifice funkiness for flavour. Boxed sets of two O glasses cost £14 each. Beginners may be more interested in the Ouverture range, including basic — but still scientifically sound — red, white, champagne and water glasses for £5 each. Couriered delivery costs £5. The Intercontinental Cooking and Tableware Company (ICTC) supplies wholesale to many fine retailers and catering businesses, but at www.ictc.co.uk, it sells directly to the public. Click the Products button on the top menu strip, then select from a range that includes La Rochère and good-value Vario glassware, designed for hotel use. White- and red-wine glasses cost £3.75 each, with a £6 delivery charge.
4 VITICULTURAL GADGETS
Unless you insist on buying the finest reds, you should not worry about decanting. However, there are useful gadgets that will make entertaining much easier — a wide selection of pourers and drip rings (£5-£31), which help prevent sloshes, can be found at the Decanting and Serving section of www.wineware.co.uk. For designated drivers, Wineware also sells excellent mini spittoons in a black plastic (£14.50) or aluminium finish (£23). Guests will thank you for supplying wineglass charms (£16 for a pack of six) that distinguish one glass from another, ensuring that you don’t spend all night rewashing glasses. Postal delivery starts at £4. The amount of information and the number of close-up images at the attractively simple www.decuisine.co.uk is impressive. It offers a bumper selection of stylish corkscrews and bottle-stoppers, as well as the handy Metrokane Rabbit wine set, which includes six brushed-aluminium gadgets for £71. Postal delivery starts at £2 (£4 for the next day).
5 TEMPTING NIBBLES
At serious wine tastings, plain white baguettes or water biscuits are supplied to help clean the palate between slurps; at a party, however, these rules need not apply. Cheese is a natural partner to wine, but some people are unsure about what to select. Thankfully, the Tetbury-based www.houseofcheese.co.uk, holder of a royal warrant, makes the task simple by offering well-balanced and perfectly matured assortments, based on what’s best in the shop at the time, with prices ranging from £20 to £200. Also of note at this rudimentary site are the tempting pâtés and terrines sold in jars (£4.60 each), with flavours including crayfish, pheasant, lamb and wild boar. Delivery costs £6.50. Head to the classy www.olivesetal.co.uk for one of the country’s most mouthwatering arrays of olives (from £4), as well as kiln-roasted nuts and other bar snacks (from £2). The flavour combinations are as vibrant as the site design. Postage and packing costs £4 on orders less than £60.
6 CLIMATE CONTROL
Fair-weather friends may enjoy being outside in the heat, but your wine won’t. Visit the comprehensive www.winegiftcentre.com for a choice of 10 ice buckets, including the colourful Igloo (£13), which claims to keep bottles cooler for longer than a metal bucket. Reusable Velcro-wrap bottle chillers (£10 for two) will cool drinks in less than five minutes. Delivery starts at £1.50. New at the slick designer retailer www.mode.co.uk is a smart carrier-cum-cooler for wine bottles, with six thermally insulated compartments (£29, including delivery). This is also the place to look for sophisticated wooden garden furniture, stunning fire pits and outdoor heaters. If your budget doesn’t stretch to £199 for a single Adonis stacking chair, visit www.homebase.co.uk, where the Outdoor Living department includes several discounted products exclusive to online shoppers. A York Hardwood Duo Seat (£80) will comfortably seat two merry guests. Want something even cheaper? Steel folding picnic chairs cost £7. Standard delivery is £5, and items normally arrive within two working days.
