Have you ever experienced dining in a 3-star restaurant in France?

Upon arrival, you are immediately given an extraordinarily tasty little something that the French refer to as an amuse-gûeule, or "palate-tickler". The reason it is such a winner is quite simple:

You can learn from this. While pursuing a degree in professional wine tasting at the UniversitÈ de Bordeaux, I learned that your ability to discern subtlety is at its best when you're experiencing hunger. Your appetite is extremely fragile. All of our tasting sessions were conducted within 30 to 45 minutes to avoid palate saturation.

Too often, we allow our guests to overindulge in hors d'ouevres, which takes most of the edge off their appetites. If your intentions are to "WOW" your guests, you want them to maintain their hunger edge. My suggestion would be that you lead with your favorite food and wine combination first. Then, you can ratchet back from there as appetites begin to decline.

Give them the best you can offer them--first ! The same applies if you're invited to a pot-luck dinner; always bring the first course.