How to Dine on Killer Wine: A Party-Planning Mystery (32 page)

I followed Brad’s SUV to Treasure Island, parked, then walked with him to my office. Dee was out at an interview, according to the “In/Out” board, and had left me a stack of party-related notes. It would take me all afternoon to catch up, but I welcomed the distraction from the murder investigation. Brad took a call on his cell and left for his office—another crime scene request—so I took a minute to call my mother and see how she was doing.

“Presley, I was just talking about you to my friends here. I told them about our lovely wine-tasting party and now they want to have one! Isn’t that exciting? We can’t have alcohol, of course, but I was thinking, instead of wine, maybe we could make it a chocolate-
tasting party, with a chocolate fountain and do-it-yourself chocolate bonbons and…”

I half listened as she took me through the entire party plan. By the time she finished, I was exhausted just thinking about it, but she had given me some great ideas for the chocoholic party I’d been asked to host at the annual Chocolate Festival in Ghirardelli Square. After I promised to get back to her on the idea, I hung up and promptly ate two See’s chocolates I’d stored in my top desk drawer.

The afternoon passed quickly as I brainstormed ideas for several other parties Dee had collected for me. Around four I headed home, taking my work with me, then spent some quality time with my cats, throwing mousies, rubbing tummies, and dangling crepe-paper streamers. When we were all pooped, I fed the cats and hopped in the shower to get ready for my dinner date with Brad. By the time he called for me at six, I was dressed in a short, sexy, strapless black dress I’d bought on sale and had been saving for a special occasion. I hoped it would distract him from the huge meal I planned to order. I’d been starving myself all day—aside from the chocolates.

“Wow,” he said, eyeing me when I opened the door.

“Too much?” I asked, glancing at his more casual attire—black jeans and a blue power shirt. “I didn’t know how to dress, since you wouldn’t tell me where we’re going.”

“You look perfect,” he said. “Shall we?”

I grabbed my purse, told my kitties to behave, and left them with a new stuffed mouse to play with.

“You’re still not going to tell me where we’re headed?” I
asked, locking the door behind me. I hoped my growling stomach didn’t deafen him.

“Nope. It’s a surprise,” he said, stealing another look at my dress as he escorted me to the carport.

“Not sure I can handle any more surprises today,” I said. I spotted Brad’s crime scene SUV in the carport and made a face.

He shrugged. “It was this or the bike,” he said, referring to his Harley.

“Let’s take my car.” I handed him the keys.

We chatted about the murder case as we drove over the Bay Bridge to the city. Brad had talked with Detective Kelly again and learned that Rob had indeed been released. That was good news. I wondered how he was doing, after learning that his wife was a murderer. Hopefully he had Gina and Rocco to comfort him.

We pulled up to McAllister Street at the corner of Gough, just off Van Ness. A valet opened my door and helped me out, then took the keys from Brad. I glanced up at the restaurant sign: “Opaque: A Journey for the Senses.” Intriguing name, to say the least. We entered through the unmarked door and Brad checked in with the hostess. The waiting room was small but held comfy-looking chairs and cocktail tables.

“Have you been here before?” the young woman at the front desk asked. She had a sly grin on her face, as if she had a special secret.

I shook my head and looked around for the dining area. All I saw was a tiny waiting room.

“First, please turn off your cell phones and check your purse with me.”

Frowning at Brad, I reluctantly turned over my purse.

“Now, have a seat in the cocktail lounge and your waiter will be with you soon.”

Brad escorted me into the softly lit lounge, where we made our choices for our three-course meal. Unusual, I thought, selecting our meals before we were even seated, but I went ahead and chose the grilled filet mignon, while Brad opted for the seared sea bass. Meanwhile we enjoyed a “specialty drink.” Having had my fill of wine lately, I ordered a margarita, and Brad had a rum and Coke. As soon as we finished our drinks, a waitress appeared and called Brad’s name. By then my curiosity was as piqued as my appetite.

I waved to signal her as we stood, but she made no move to greet us. She just stared pleasantly into the lounge area.

“Right here,” Brad called to her.

The waitress turned in the direction of his voice and her smile grew.

“Hello, I’m Beverly, your waitress,” she said without making eye contact. “Will you follow me, please?”

That’s when I realized she was blind.

I glanced at Brad to see his reaction, but he obviously knew. He took my arm and we followed Beverly to the door I’d noticed earlier. She opened it and led us downstairs to another room, me holding on to her shoulder, Brad holding on to mine.

The room was pitch-black.

I slid my hand down into Brad’s and squeezed it. “What’s going on?” I whispered, bumping into something at my side. The waitress guided me to a chair,
then seated Brad, talking to us as she helped us orient ourselves in the darkness. She explained how to locate our utensils and reminded us to take in the savory aromas that filled the room.

And then she left us alone.

In complete darkness.

“Oh my God!” I whispered, aware of the diners nearby from hearing their voices, yet still unable to see them. “This is incredible!”

“I thought you might like it,” Brad said. I suddenly noticed how deep and resonant his voice was when I wasn’t distracted by his good looks. “It’s kind of like investigating a mystery.”

I giggled. “How so?”

“Well, you were completely in the dark about who the killer was—just like you’re completely in the dark here.”

I smiled, then realized he couldn’t see my reaction. I squeezed his hand again and felt the heat of it. I hadn’t let go since we’d been seated.

We chatted a few minutes, mostly about all the twists and turns this murder investigation had taken. “I still don’t know if the Briens and Madeiras were having affairs with one another, but that was only a distraction,” I said into the blackness. “None of my business anyway.”

“That’s never stopped you before,” Brad said.

I squeezed his hand a little too hard.

The server brought the bread and butter. Never had I done anything so challenging as spreading that butter on the bread. My fingers were covered by the time I was done. While we dined in the dark, I wondered
aloud what would happen to the rest of the suspects.

“I suppose Allison is out on her butt,” I said to Brad after wiping butter on my napkin—or was it my dress?

“No doubt. I don’t think Rob will forgive her for selling his wine behind his back. But I don’t think you need to worry. She’ll get some sugar daddy to take care of her.”

“Do you think Rob will keep the winery going?”

“After all that work he put into it? Yeah. Although the memories may be too much for him and he may sell it after all. Not to Angus McLaughlin, though.”

“I suppose nothing will happen to McLaughlin, unless residents get fed up and stop selling to him before he completely takes over Napa County.”

“The publicity for this murder case might help slow him down a bit,” Brad said. “People may wise up.”

“And what about Kyle Bennett?” I asked. “Do you think he’ll still practice law in Napa? He’s such a slimeball.”

“Good question,” Brad said. “Maybe he’ll hook up with Allison and together they can wreak havoc. Did they have a thing going?”

“I’m not sure, but I have a feeling Allison tries to have a ‘thing’ with every guy she meets.”

“Speaking of a ‘thing,’” Brad said, “how’s your mom? She still seeing that Larry guy?”

“No. I talked to her earlier and she said it’s over. She didn’t feel they could maintain a ‘long-distance’ relationship.”

Brad laughed. “He’s only an hour or so away!”

“Actually, that’s Mom-speak for ‘he just didn’t do it for me,’” I explained.

“Hey, I’m just learning Presley-speak, and now I have to learn Mom-speak?”

“You catch on fast,” I said. “Don’t worry. After all, you knew I’d love this place.”

“You like it?” he asked.

I felt around for my water glass with my free hand, praying I didn’t knock it over. “Are you kidding? This would be a great idea for a party!”

I thought about taking off my clothes but chickened out. Instead I slipped off my shoes and began playing footsie with Brad under the table. Who knew where that would lead?

Didn’t matter. I was ready for anything Brad had to offer.

As if you need an excuse to drink wine, here’s one anyway. Host a Wine- and Cheese-Tasting Party, where you have to guess what kind of wine you’re drinking, then vote on the best of the lot. By the time the party is over, no one will care which one is the best—just that it was the best time they’ve ever had!

Invitations

Create fun invitations by making your own wine labels, using the computer, a fancy font, and some clip art of grapes or wine bottles. Write the name of the party and add the details. Ask the guests to bring an assigned bottle of red—cabernet, merlot, chianti, pinot noir—or white—chardonnay, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, Riesling—or one of each. Have them wrap the bottles in plain brown paper bags to obscure the labels for a game later.

What to Wear

Ask your guests to dress in wine colors. Or get iron-on decals of wine bottles or glasses for T-shirts, and send them to guests to wear at the party. Or give them a pin
featuring a bunch of grapes, a scarf with a wine design, or socks that feature wineglasses and bottles.

Decorations

Cover your tasting table with a paper tablecloth in a wine design (so you don’t have to worry about spills on your good tablecloth). Decorate the table with plastic grapes, wineglass decorations, and other wine-related décor. Add wine-colored candles and sprinkle the table with wine bottle labels.

Games and Activities

Test your wine-drinking acumen with a few sips from your favorite bottles—and learn some new wine terms.

Wine and Cheese Tasting

The Preparation

Set out glasses for each guest, with identification labels so everyone knows which glass is his or hers. Write up a numbered list, with spaces for each bottle. Include a rating system from 1 to 10 next to each bottle, 10 being “Superb,” 1 being “Swill.” Add a space for guests to estimate the price of the wine, and include other aspects of the wine to judge, such as appearance, aroma, flavor, and so on, if you like.

The Tasting

Pour the first glass of wine, preferably white if you’re serving both red and white wines, but don’t
peek at the label. Ask the guests to taste the wine, try to guess what kind it is, and give it a rating. Offer a variety of cheeses and snacks with the wine.

Wine Characteristics

Quiz the guests on their wine acumen, using the following terms. Have them take turns giving definitions—real or made up.

Attractive (easy to drink)

Big (full-bodied)

Flabby (lacking acidity)

Robust (intense)

Supple (well balanced with tannins and fruit)

Green (like unripe fruit)

Heady (high in alcohol)

Barnyardy (smells like farm animals)

Cheese Tasting

Serve a different cheese with each pouring of wine, and have the tasters rate the cheeses, much like they do the wines. Have them guess what kind of cheese it is, how much it costs, and whether it goes well with the wine.

Chocolate and Wine

Surprisingly, chocolate and wine go perfectly together, so have a chocolate and wine tasting by pairing various chocolates—bittersweet, dark, milk, and white—with a variety of wines, such as merlot, cabernet, pinot noir, and so on.

Refreshments

To balance the intake of wine, offer a variety of cheeses, along with French bread or crackers. For the white wines, serve Swiss, Gouda, or baked Brie. For red wine, try Gruyère, Muenster, or blue cheese. Serve cheesecake for dessert, with a nice dessert wine, such as muscat. Other good appetizers include goat cheese, shrimp cocktail, olive oil dip and bread, hummus, and pâté.

Favors, Prizes, and Gifts

Give the tasters a bottle of wine to take home, along with a hunk of cheese and a box of gourmet crackers. Let them keep their wine-decorated T-shirts and other wine accessories. Give them a book on wines.

Party Plus

Take the tasters to a wine bar or tasting room and learn about the different wines as you sample them.

And check out my book
Ladies’ Night
for more fun party ideas!