Throw Your Own Wine and Cheese Tasting Party

As the weather gets colder and snowier, what better way to stay cooped up inside than with your friends?

Hosting a wine and cheese party is not just for the summer months. Having wine in the winter can definitely make you feel warm inside. Pairing it with some delightful cheeses and other hors d’oeuvres will make your party have a classy, elegant feel. Light a fire and stock up on the drinks and appetizers, because we have some tips to have a great get-together and impress your friends.

Know Your Pairings

In order to throw this gathering, you must know which types of wine and cheese to get. Ideally, there should be about five or six bottles of wine along with several types of cheese. There are particular types of wine that pair best with certain cheeses:

If you try to go by this list of pairings, then your guests will discover what “gouda” taste you have!

Guessing Game

To keep your party interesting, keep the wines a secret, and have people blind taste test them to see which ones they prefer. To do this, you can simply grab some basic, plain wrap to cover the labels of the bottles. Along with the covered bottles, have some typed up descriptions of the flavors. Guests will then have to match which flavor descriptions with each bottle, along with picking their favorites!

Mix It Up

While guests will certainly enjoy the cheese and wine pairings you have set out for them, they may get sick of eating just cheese all night. Besides the typical cheeses that are served alongside the wines, try to mix it up with other foods that will keep it interesting for your guests. Try to keep it easy, with finger appetizers that are simple to eat, but are also filling. If you are drinking all that wine, you will need a full stomach! Some good examples of filler foods would be fruit, breads, and stuffed mushrooms. You can find a great stuffed mushroom with crabmeat recipe here. Some foods to put alongside your cheese platter would be meats like prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni; jams like fig conserve, plum preserve, and apricot preserves; and a myriad of crackers and nuts.

Now that you have a plan in place for your perfect party, all you need to do is get the supplies! Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA has every wine you will ever need, along with a large selection of cheeses and other gourmet foods. If you forget your list of pairings, the knowledgeable staff will help with their extensive familiarity of everything wine related.  If you cannot make it to the store, then Julio’s will deliver wine directly to your doorstep with their Angel Share program.

What is your go-to wine choice for a party?