So you want to host another party for your friends. You’re a philanthropist, promoting the welfare of others. No, you really are. Scientists estimate that an average of 23.2 people will use your restroom, 67 percent of those will be male. That’s a lot of men, who don’t mind the odd splatter on the floor or toilet seat, using your restroom. Putting up with that is called sacrifice. You are a saint.

Yet the restroom is only a small part of your sacrifice. If you go for the full out dinner party you have to buy groceries, prepare food, clean before the party and after it. Social management during the party while providing an environment for smokers and making sure no one too imbibed opens your precious bottle of rare scotch. Or worse, finds your laptop and starts DJ’ing. The horror, the horror!

Potlucks are no better. The idea of a potluck is that every guest brings a dish. The result is a table with three different kinds of chips, a focaccia and a soup that no one can eat because there are no bowls. Everybody else brings booze. Afterwards you’ll be washing dishes and cleaning up the plastic trash the crowd left.

If the above doesn’t apply to your dinner and potluck parties, you have outstanding friends and I salute you. If it does, before you say no to ever hosting a party again, I have the solution.

You host a potluck that’s not really a potluck. Instead of having every guest bring “a dish” invite every guest to bring a bottle of wine. A wine tasting party with everybody pitching in. You provide the food. Nothing fancy is required, a charcuterie or cheese platter, some nuts and good bread. Maybe a simple pasta. Don’t go for outspoken flavors as they are difficult to pair. Let your guests know what food you will prepare for them in advance so they can choose a suitable wine.

It’s a great alternative to a potluck where everyone can try different wines without having to break the bank. Another plus is that the wines form an interesting conversation topic. The food shouldn’t take too much work and won’t make a huge mess. It’s almost too perfect.

You’ll be a new beacon of hope, a lighthouse on the stormy shores of social life and dinner parties. Set forth my friends, to a hopeful horizon filled with wine.

[Article from Alexander Eeckhout]