WINE AND CHEESE PARTY

Wine and cheese...my two favorite things.... At my sister Mary Ann's house yesterday she said several followers of my blog wanted a secret to a good wine and cheese event. So very easy and frankly so delicious. The hardest part is determining the progression of samplings and the snacks to serve.

So let's start with the snacks that will help the palate move through the sampling. For the white wine samplings a melody of sliced melons, mild dried fruits,water crackers and almonds. When you move to the reds your snack selection should include rustic hearty bread, salami, preferably a sopprasata which is a bit more spicy than a genoa salami and at the end a nice dark chocolate. As one of my favorite people reminded me, cheese should ALWAYS be served at room temperature to capture its fullest flavor. So make sure you take the cheese out of the refrigerator at least 3 hours ahead of time.

Pairings are below and should be served in this order...mild to strong...white to red...meek to robust...

Start:

WHITE:

Champagne (Moet or like) with a nice Gouda or Edam

Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese

Chardonnay and brie

RED:

Pinot Noir and Gruyere

Cabernet or Port with Maytag bleu cheese and dark chocolate.

Again, the focus is not only the cheese and wine but the snacks in between that cleanse the palate between wine and cheese flavors. For this event an interesting table design is also a crowd pleaser. One of my favorites is getting a big tablecloth and putting empty boxes or upside down bowls on the table covering them with the tablecloth and placing snacks/cheese on top of them to give your table a dimension like a top notch restaurant buffet.

To serve the wines you need at least three different glasses per person. One champagne flute, one white and one red. If you have won the lottery and can serve a different glass per wine, please be related to me and add me to your will in a big way. The snacks should be displayed by the types of wine they are paired with. As always buy the wine and cheese at markets that have people who can help you chose the best types within your budget.

ENJOY!