Staging a wine tasting any time soon?

'Cause I am. If you happen to have any winemaker friends, maybe you'd like to do the same. It's great way to help them move merch before the holidays. And it's also a great excuse to eat all afternoon and justify your nonstop nibbling as a "palate cleansing" necessity.

Some of you longtime loyalists may remember my mention of Stark wines from a very early posting. This weekend, I’m hosting a wine tasting for those very same Starks to showcase their newest vintages, including 2 syrahs and 2004 viognier.

I’m still dreaming up the menu selections, so let me know if I’m overlooking some obvious, must-have accompaniments. Right now, I’m considering the following:

For the Syrah

5-spice Chinese riblets
Mushrooms with sage & sherry stuffing
Lamb sausages with mustard
Rosemary roasted nuts
Spanish olives marinated in citrus & spices

For the Viognier

Roasted figs stuffed with chevre & drizzled with honey
Manouri cheese layered with apricot preserves & toasted pine nuts
Shallot and fennel flatbread
Bacalau

Sound good?