Planning A Cheese Party
One of the most enjoyable ways to enjoy your weekend and to show off your home is to have a wine and cheese party. It will require a budget, planning and preparation to make your party a big success, however. In planning your party, it would be excellent for you to consider a themed party. If you decide to have a theme, do this first. For example, do you want wines and cheeses from all over the world represented? Or, do you want to feature local wines. To make this article more presentable and straightforward lets pick one of the above themes: Wines around the World.
When you send out your invitations to the party, make sure they detail the party’s theme. Let everyone know the excitement they are in store for! You could even give assignments. Have each couple or individual ‘investigate’ a specific county or region. Ask them to bring books, interesting facts and of course tidbits about the area’s wine and cheese selection!
Alternate between red wines, white wines, and even sparkling wines with each invited guest so that there is a even distribution of variety. For some extra fun and ambiance, have your guests bring a theme decoration or two representing their assigned regions, (the country’s flag, for example). Be sure to have your guests RSVP. This will make it easier to prepare. This is important for determining the supplies you’ll need to provide.
When your guests arrive, give them a glass for red wine and a glass for white wine. Also have some Champagne flutes available for the sparkling wines. Make certain that you have at least one ice bucket and/or wine chiller available to keep the cold wines chilled. Be sure to have on hand a cheese cutter and a knife for spreading cheese as well. The cheese slicer features a thin band, and is essential for many soft cheeses. Cut the hard cheese into small squares. Also, supply an arrangement of crackers. Pick very simple and not too salty crackers. These will also aid in the clearing of your quests’ palates. It is also suitable to serve dried fruits and nuts.
Make sure you provide plenty of toothpicks. It’s also a good idea to have bottled water handy to refresh the palate between wines and cheeses. You can even set up your patio or living area into stations, each station representing a region. Definitely invest in a quality opener if you haven’t already. This will make the opening of multiple bottles easy and painless.
Use a mobile wine cart to move around the room and attend to your guests. If your budget is bottomless you could even hire a server to do this for you so that you are more able to converse with your guests! A wine cart is an excellent resource at a wine and cheese party! Also, for those of you that would like to get fancy, provide your guests with wine adornments. These adornments attach to the stem of the wine glass and allow wine drinkers to identify their own glasses. Wine adornments are available in a variety of wine oriented themes.
By following these simple suggestions and guidelines, your wine and cheese party will be a smashing success! It might even inspire you to form your own wine “club.” Happy partying!