Step 1: Invite Your Guests
Six to 10 people is the ideal group for a tasting party: big enough to spark interesting conversation, but still small enough for everyone to sit around the table.
Step 2: Go Shopping
Buy three or four different wines and cheeses (see pairing suggestions below). You'll need 12 to 20 ounces of each cheese and two or three bottles of each wine. Buy cheeses no more than a day in advance so they'll be fresh and flavorful.
Chill sparkling wines overnight. Chill white wines two to three hours before the party (too cold kills the flavor), red wines about 30 minutes prior. "Red wines taste best at the temperature of a wine cellar — about 55 degrees, not room temperature," says Dina Cheney, author of Tasting Club. Take cheese out of fridge one hour before the party.
Step 3: Arrange the Pairings
On a side table or counter, pair cheeses and wines in order from mildest to strongest.
Pairing Suggestions
Sparkling wines go with mild, buttery triple-cream cheeses (St. Andre, Explorateur).
Simple, young wines (sauvignon blanc, Sancerre) go with soft, young cheeses (goat cheese).
Chardonnays and full cabernets go well with semisoft cheeses (Brie, Camembert).
Medium-bodied reds (pinot noir, Côtes du Rhone) go with hard, stronger-flavored cheeses (Parmesan, Gruyère, aged cheddar).
Sweet/dessert wines go with pungent blue cheeses. It may sound odd, but try it!
Six to 10 people is the ideal group for a tasting party: big enough to spark interesting conversation, but still small enough for everyone to sit around the table.
Step 2: Go Shopping
Buy three or four different wines and cheeses (see pairing suggestions below). You'll need 12 to 20 ounces of each cheese and two or three bottles of each wine. Buy cheeses no more than a day in advance so they'll be fresh and flavorful.
Chill sparkling wines overnight. Chill white wines two to three hours before the party (too cold kills the flavor), red wines about 30 minutes prior. "Red wines taste best at the temperature of a wine cellar — about 55 degrees, not room temperature," says Dina Cheney, author of Tasting Club. Take cheese out of fridge one hour before the party.
Step 3: Arrange the Pairings
On a side table or counter, pair cheeses and wines in order from mildest to strongest.
- Group similar cheeses on one plate (soft cheeses, goat cheeses, etc.). "Don't crowd all the cheese together,"
- On folded index cards, list each cheese and its accompanying wine.
- On the dining table, put out palate cleansers (crackers, bread, water) for guests to nibble on or drink between selections, a bucket or bowl to dump extra wine into (dump at least some — the more you drink, the less you taste), and notepaper and pens so guests can jot down their thoughts and impressions.
Pairing Suggestions
Sparkling wines go with mild, buttery triple-cream cheeses (St. Andre, Explorateur).
Simple, young wines (sauvignon blanc, Sancerre) go with soft, young cheeses (goat cheese).
Chardonnays and full cabernets go well with semisoft cheeses (Brie, Camembert).
Medium-bodied reds (pinot noir, Côtes du Rhone) go with hard, stronger-flavored cheeses (Parmesan, Gruyère, aged cheddar).
Sweet/dessert wines go with pungent blue cheeses. It may sound odd, but try it!
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