There are lots of different ways to host a wine-tasting party in your home. One of the easiest things to do is to ask each guest to bring their favorite bottle of wine, and just let everyone sample each other's. Simple...fun...but maybe a little haphazard. You can mix things up a little, however, by setting some rules beforehand.  I recently went to a wine-tasting event for HALL Winery, located in California's Napa Valley. We tasted 7 of their wines, all Cabernet Sauvignons from 2005 or 2006. It was amazing how different they all tasted; some more tannic, some fruitier, some bold and full-bodied, others lighter on the tongue. So here are some ideas for your next wine-tasting party:

• Taste just one varietal: only Sauvignon Blancs, or Pinot Noirs, or Merlots
• Up the ante by tasting one varietal from a single year (for example, only Chardonnays from 2005)
• Taste wines from just one region: New York's Finger Lakes, South Africa, Argentina, Tuscany, Napa
• Taste one varietal at different price ranges (for example, Shirazes that cost $10, $20, $30 and $40), and see if you can tell the difference
• Set out an assortment of cheeses and taste wines with each cheese, determining which is your favorite pairing

We had a few snacks along with our wine, and my favorite pairing was the 2006 Exzellenz Sacrashe Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon with Rogue Creamery's Echo Mountain Blue cheese. While the Exzellenz isn't available yet, you can re-create this pairing at home; ask your wine store guy to recommend a full-bodied, well-balanced Cab with notes of ripe berry and wood, then pick up an earthy, creamy, rich blue cheese (the Echo Mountain is a unique blend of cow's and goat's milk). Pour yourself a glass, slice off a bit of cheese, and savor the flavors.