Most of the time I'm very liberal with using my "good" things. If I'm having a bad day, I might pull out my good china and use it to make dinner (or lunch!) a little more special. The good chocolate? Well, that doesn't usually stay in the cupboard very long and I end up having to buy more when we have guests. The good jams, sauces, and salsa that I can't resist buying at craft shows? If it's a rainy Sunday afternoon, I've been known to open up whatever I fancy to take the "blahs" away. The good wine? Erm... well... OK, I admit that like many people I have a tendency to stockpile my good wine, saving it for some momentous occasion that may or may not come within a reasonable amount of time.

Admit it. You, too, probably have at least a couple bottles in your wine rack that you look at longingly, just dying to open and enjoy. Yet something inside tells you to save it. Now that it's party season, why not spice things up a bit with a What Are You Saving It For? Party:

Ask each guest to bring a bottle (one per person) they've been saving for a special occasion, because this is it. I've done this a couple of times, both blind (bottles are brown-bagged or festively disguised) and disclosed. For the holidays, wrapping them would be appropriate. Each guest chooses a bottle to open and the party begins. Believe you me, you'll wonder what you were saving it for anyway.

What a fun idea for the holidays (or anytime you need an excuse for a party). It would be interesting to see what everyone is stashing away! Here are a few of the bottles currently in my "good" wine rack:

• 1999 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico


• 2000 Cos D'Estournel Bordeaux


• 2000 Rudd Jericho Canyon Red Wine


• 2002 Michel-Schlumberger "Deux Terres" Cabernet Sauvignon


• 2004 B.R. Cohn Cabernet


• 2005 Two Hands Bella's Garden Shiraz

What do you have waiting for that special occasion?