Excerpt from "It's Time to Party!" Published July 2006

Wedding and event planner Lara Casey loves a good wine tasting. As host or hostess, there are several options for planning a wine party, Casey said. One way is to visit the local wine store or go to the Internet and search for suggestions for a flight of wines to taste.

"I generally recommend starting with a pinot grigio, a chardonnay and a rosé and move into perhaps a red wine, merlot and finish with a cabernet franc," she said. "This will cover a nice range of grapes and blends."

Another option is to ask each guest or couple to bring one cheap bottle of wine (less than $10) and one moderately priced bottle ($15 to $20).

"Remove the price tags, start tasting and see if you can guess the cheap from the chic," Casey said. "You would be surprised. Even a savvy nose can have a hard time with this one."

· Details: Print out tasting notes on each wine from the Internet. Casey suggests setting out extra wine glasses filled with the elements noted on the tasting notes. For example, if it says the wine has an aroma of pear, have sliced pear in a glass for people to smell and compare to the nose of the wine. Remember that a taste of each wine is generally one to two ounces per pour. Set the party at a large table or bar, preferably outside. Fill terra cotta vases with rustic wine country inspired flowers such as sunflowers, lavender bushes, herbs, olive branches, garden roses and mounds of fresh grapes, Casey said.

· Activities: Tasting and conversation is all you need.

· Menu: Serve fresh fruits, olives, imported cheeses and rustic fresh bread to cleanse the palate between tastings. If planning a dinner, choose a seafood appetizer with your whites and a lamb or beef main dish for your reds, Casey said.

More ideas

Need more ideas? Try these.

· Charity-themed party. Casey suggests, throwing a party to benefit your favorite charity, having a picnic for the senior citizens at the retirement home near you or hosting a bash in honor of your pets and ask each guest to bring donations for the local shelter.