Joan Torres isn't Jewish, but over the years, she has been invited to various Jewish celebrations.

"I know what to bring for Passover, Rosh Hashanah and a shiva call," she said, using the term for a period of mourning following a death in the family. "But I know nothing about Hanukkah."

So when she got her first invitation to a Hanukkah party, Torres, who lives in New York, put a query on Chowhound.com asking, "What would be appropriate to bring as a host/hostess gift?"

Chowhound users -- all food enthusiasts -- answered well: Wine, chocolates and doughnuts were among the good suggestions.

But what kind? Here are some specific ideas for Hanukkah party gifts, food and otherwise, and why they would be welcome.

Welcome to Che’ Lopez or as I like to refer to it, “Russ’s house.” My friend Russ Lopez likes to throw wine parties called “Whiner & Cheese Par-tays.” These parties have become somewhat of a “Russ tradition” but you can easily borrow the idea, throw in some personal touches and make the tradition your own.

The parties revolve around a very simple concept… all the guests are asked to bring a bottle of yummy wine. Everything else evolves from there. “It’s really fun,” says Russ. “Because my friends bring a lot of different and interesting wines and people get a chance to taste a wide variety.

If you’re like me, you like a great glass of vino.  You may also like a good Halloween party.  So why not combine the two?  Throw a “HalloWINE” soiree.

You can throw a generic Halloween party and just serve wine, or you can go with a theme.  I, of course, ALWAYS have a theme.  In fact, I go overboard on the theme most of the time.  But for me that’s half the fun.  Hopefully you can glean a few good ideas from all of my silliness.

You can make your party simple or go all out.  I prefer simple, as in plates I can throw away at the end of the night.  Ok, so maybe I’m not Martha Stewart with cutesy, seasonal flatware handed down from my grandmother.  Or maybe I have the flatware, but just don’t like doing dishes.  I’ll never tell. 

This month, everything went south for the wine panel – South American, that is. We inaugurated grilling season with a charcoal-grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce, an Argentine classic that's a natural fit for South American wines.

Between bites, we sipped wines for less than $20 from Argentina and Chile.