As someone who often has so many things to do and such little time, the thought of party planning was often overwhelming, and definitely not appealing in any way. Having to set a menu, prepare an entire meal and prepare the entertainment was in no way something I considered easy.
What if you could cut out most of the drama by hosting a pre-event wine & cheese party? The idea is that you could get your friends together for a concert or movie out, but beforehand have everyone over for wine & cheese. This was definitely much easier than having to plan an entire evening.
Hosting a wine & cheese party is pretty easy…just a few key details and you’ve got yourself a night to remember.
If you’re going to throw a stress free wine and cheese party, here is a step by step breakdown of what you need to do to make sure you and your guests have a great time.
Step 1: Pick Your Event
For me, one of the best methods of stress free and successful party planning was to plan around a specific event. I surely wanted my friends to have a good time, and finding the right kind of entertainment was not always easy. This gave me the idea to choose a particular event or venue, and plan around that. A few months ago, there was a local art show that my friends and I wanted to visit. I took this opportunity to host a small cheese and wine party before we headed over to the gallery. With a few selections of cheese and wine, my friends were surely enjoying themselves before we went out for the main event of the evening.
Step 2: Plan Your Prep For Your Home
When planning a party, it is important to make your home look welcoming and ready for your guests. I found this to be the hardest part of planning a party, but a few tips have helped make this process a lot easier. The first aspect of this is understanding your crowd. Know what your friends would like and try to work around that. For example, my friends from college would prefer something more laid back, even if it was eating fancy wine and cheese. They would want a chill atmosphere with our favorite music blasting on the speakers. My friends from work, however, would generally prefer a more classy setting, and would generally enjoy music that is lighter and not too blaring. Be realistic about the kind of party you are throwing and set up your home in accordance to that.
Step 3: Create A Platter
For a cheese and wine party, you would think that this part would be the hardest. Thankfully, with plenty of options and guidelines at most stores about cheese selections and tastes, finding the right kind of cheese has never been easier. When preparing a menu, make sure that you add a variety of tastes, textures and styles of cheese.
Since you can’t always predict the kind of cheese that people like, it is good to keep a little extra in the back if you need to refill. I generally use a mix of the following to create a diverse cheese platter:
- Brie
- Parmesan
- Goat Cheese
- Gouda
- Three Year Sharp Cheddar
- Blue Cheese
Step 4: Pick A Wine To Match
Because you are going to have a variety of cheese options, the task of picking the wine is sometimes tricky. Even though red wine is usually considered best for these kinds of events, I feel like white wine does a better job of maintaining the flavor of the cheese and offsets it well with the platter that I have to offer. Chardonnay is one wine that I like to add because of how well it goes with the standard Brie that I serve. Sauvignon Blanc is also another option that I add because of how well it fits with goat cheese and the gouda. Of course, you can just pick your favorite red and your favorite white and maybe add a rose for your friends with a sweeter tooth for wine.
Step 5: Add a Sweet Treat
After you’ve gone through the process of picking the cheeses and the wines, you should pick a sweet treat that will go with both. We are fans of cannoli, as they’re lightly sweet and provide a great mix of textures – both crunchy and creamy. If you’re having a small group over, consider having your guests put their own cannoli together. Provide them with a chocolate sauce to drizzle over top and you have a built-in activity to go with your sweet treat.
Following these steps can surely help you host a brilliant party, and can help you set the tone for the entire event that is to follow.
