Throwing A Pinot Grigio Party

There's really no better place to demonstrate the genius of pairing wine and sharing wine (#PairItShareIt for you in the Twitterverse) than picking a favorite varietal and throwing a tasting party.

It doesn't have to be fancy. Let's just say you're going to throw a Pinot Grigio tasting party. A fun way to get everyone involved is to invite friends to bring a bottle of their favorite Italian Pinot Grigio. Guests can sip the wine on its own first and then later try it with food and see how its character changes.

You could do it like the pros and have a "blind tasting." No, it's not about covering yours eyes. Challenge the senses of your friends by slipping each bottle into a brown paper bag and numbering them. Then, after tasting, ask everyone votes for their favorites, say, picking their Top 3.

Can you tell your bottle from the rest? Did you still like it best? Don't be shy about sharing your tasting notes with the group even if it means flashing a thumbs up or thumbs down. It's interesting to see how your choices stack up against your buddies. Not that there's any "right" answer!

The second part of putting together a festive tasting is to ask guests to grab a glass of their top Italian Pinot Grigio pick and then try to find the best food match. You know, like Brad and Angelina, but with food and wine. We're looking to find the right bite that makes this refreshing and food-friendly wine shine.

For summer, you could grill some chicken or skewer some pork kabobs and baste with a teriyaki sauce. Or, keep it chill by serving pasta salad tossed with some seasonal veggies. Yum!

If you're a member of the eat-dessert-first club, why not invite friends over for a treats feast? That's what's so brilliant about Italian Pinot Grigio: It's so crisp and refreshing, it goes well with just about everything.

Then again, how about following up your blind tasting with a sit-down dinner? Make like the Italians do and light some candles, crank up the tunes and get set to linger, visiting over a meal in courses. Even if it's simply a Caesar salad followed by pizza and gelato, dinner shared with friends is one of the most delicious ways to create fond memories.