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Entertain Your Guests With Wine This Holiday Season

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Wondering what wine to pair with your Thanksgiving meal?

David Mirassou of Mirassou Winery visited the KCAL9 studios Thursday to share his tips on how to entertain your guests with wine this holiday.

Mirassou, a wine expert and sixth generation of America's oldest wine-making family, says there are no "rules" to food and wine paring, just one simple guideline: pair lighter foods with lighter wines and heartier foods with bolder wines.

Entertaining Tips

• Offer small bites and festive fare. Prepare an assortment of appetizers and small plates for entertaining, allowing your guests more sampling opportunities and letting you out of the kitchen to mingle more.

• Create a cozy setting. Consider setting up food stations in your home to allow guests to congregate in different areas. Floor cushions around a coffee table and coasters on the mantle will encourage mingling.

• Plan to offer your guests both a red wine and a white wine. A Chardonnay has wide appeal because it has fruit-forward flavors to maximize food pairing options. A Pinot Noir also has great versatility in food and wine pairings.

• How much wine should you serve? A general rule of thumb is to plan on about one glass of wine per person for each hour of the gathering.

• Personalize a gift from the vine. Not hosting this season? With very little effort, wine can be a gift with a personal touch. (Example on set with "Give Thanks" wine bag.)

• Personalized place settings with festive flare and chalkboard signs.

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