Dinner Party Ideas: Formal Dinner Parties

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Formal Dinner Parties - How

I really enjoyed this article by Chester Francis-Jackson in the Jamaica Gleaner News..

A lot of fear is associated to the word "formal" dinner party these days but with Chester's tips you'll feel so much more confdent.

For instance, it's great to get advice from an expert about just how much you should fill a glass (stemware)..

"The history of stemware is as old as the art of wine-drinking itself, if not older. For the purposes of this article, we have condensed samples as well as their recommended usage for you.

Water goblet, fill almost to top.
Red wine goblet 1/2 full.
Red wine, balloon-shaped glass, served a third to 1/2 full.
White wine glass, served 1/2 full.
White Rhine wine goblet 4-6 oz, 3/4-inch deep.
Brandy snifter, served a 1/4 or a finger full.

Flute champagne glass, served 3/4 full.
Saucer-shaped champagne glass (now almost extinct), served full.

Martini or cocktail glass 4-6 oz, served almost to top.

Sherry, port, Madeira wine glass, served ³/⁴ full.
Cordial or liqueur glasses, served ¹/² to ³/⁴ full."

And, you can even make certain that you are holding the stemware in the correct fashion..

"Generally, the accepted way of correctly holding a wine glass is to hold it by the stem, near the bowl. The common practice of grasping the bowl, for red or white, is incorrect and should be avoided, especially for whites as by holding the bowl, your body temperature serves to actually heat the chilled wine. With reds, however, holding the bottom part of the bowl, where it intersects with the stem, is considered acceptable."

But you can get even more tips - on table manners..