We love wine and cheese parties (Who doesn’t?) — and fall is the perfect time to host one. This season, host a wine and cheese party with style — one that involves more than putting out a plate of pre-sliced singles. We had a #pbtwitterparty yesterday with our entertaining expert, Tony, to get his tips on how to throw a wine and cheese party with some Pottery Barn style.
Say Cheese
Wine and cheese can get expensive. A good cheese costs a lot! To mix things up and stay on budget, we like to use more affordable cheeses in clever appetizers — like crostini or fondue.
Want to pair wine and cheese for tastings? This usually works best with contrasting (sweet + savory) or complementary (sweet + sweet) flavors. Mix up the types of cheeses you serve, too. Firm, soft, semi-firm and flavorful cheeses like gorgonzola.
Give your guests a little break from cheese with other snacks, too. We love to use our Round Vintage Pizza Paddle Board to serve charcuterie. Throw a handful of almonds, olives, dried berries, grapes and other fruit into little bowls. Tip: We’d avoid apples, since they can get brown, unless you squeeze some lemon on them!
Don’t forget that cheese can be a dessert, too! Choose a dessert wine and complement with honey and chocolate for a wine and cheese tasting after a dinner party.
Wine Me Up
Just because you’re hosting doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help. Turn your wine and cheese party into a potluck of sorts to make your life a little easier. Have every guest bring a bottle of their very favorite wine to share — assign red and whites to mix it up.
Turn it into a blind wine tasting to make it extra fun. We love this wine tasting party from Julie Blanner.
Worried not everyone will want wine? Serve a few champagne cocktails to keep things festive. Click here for inspiration and recipes.
Don’t forget non-alcoholic options! Martinelli’s Apple Cider is great to have on hand — serve it in flutes! Spritzers are a great choice too — try mixing simple bitters and soda water.
Hostess with the Mostess
Make hostessing easy and have guests serve sangria, cocktails or spritzers themselves with this fabulous wine barrel drink dispenser.
Bring a stopper or corkscrew as a hostess gift, or wrap your wine in a new dishtowel with a pretty ribbon.
Use wine tags to label glasses so your guests don’t get mixed up. Use paper hangtags and tie them to glasses with raffia or rope. Or, make it super simple and ask a friend with good handwriting to write everyone’s names on the glasses with Sharpie — it comes right off in the dishwasher, trust us!
