Holiday Wine and Cheese Party Recipe
Holiday Wine and Cheese Party~
Looking for something different to do this holiday season?
Why not Host a Wine and Cheese Party.
Wine and Cheese Parties are fun, relatively easy and
a great way to enjoy the Holidays.....plus
there isn't any cooking involved!
Sip different Wines, sample a variety of Cheeses,
Enjoy fresh Fruits and Breads...
While listening to Christmas Carols and
Admiring your beautifully decorated Christmas Tree~
Cheese Shown~
Sweet Heat Goat Cheese
Blue Cheese
Sweet Cheddar- Kerrygold Skellig
Swiss Cheese- Vern's Cheese Inc.
Plan ahead so you can take advantage of Wines Sales.
Have non-alcoholic Sparkling Wine or
Cider for your non-drinking friends and designated drivers.
Here are a few guidelines to follow~
What to Serve:
Wine, Cheese, Fruit, Bread, Nuts, Dried Fruit, Chocolate
Cheese:
Serve 3-5 different cheeses..depending on the number of guests..
Serve cheese with a variety of tastes, textures and strengths
Buy the best cheese you can afford
No processed cheese
No cheese off the "rack"
Purchase cheese no more than a day or two before party
2 oz of each cheese per guest
Choose a wine to compliment each cheese selection.
Wine:
1 bottle of wine per cheese
1 bottle per person, total
Always serve water, as well
Fruit:
Fresh fruit is easy and you can serve whatever fruit is in season
Plums, Apples, Grapes, Pears, Melons
Dried Fruit is also a delicious and great option.
Apricots, Raisins, Prunes, Figs, Dates
3 oz prepared per person
Bread and Crackers:
Bread serves as a palate cleanser and a base for spreadable cheese.
Good quality crackers and baguette slices are great choices
1 pound per 12 people
Nuts and Seeds:
Salted, candied or spiced nuts can be served
Chocolate:
Make sure the wine is essentially as sweet as the chocolate
Purchase quality chocolate
Pair chocolate and wine according to the darkness of the chocolate;
the darker the chocolate the darker the wine.
Wines should have a smooth, pleasant taste
Select wines according to flavors of the chocolate;
Example: full-bodied wines to match strong, intense chocolates.
When tasting chocolate and wines together,
obey the wine rule of tasting...from light to dark
Start with light milk chocolate and white chocolates and
move to the medium chocolate then ending with the very dark,
and bitter chocolate.
How to Serve:
Arrange the cheese on large cheese boards, platters or
plates from mildest to strongest.
Group them with their complimentary wines,
fruit, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate and breads.
Identify each type of cheese and its wine on a place card in front of each grouping.
Cheese should be served at room temperature.
Each cheese must have its own knife and/or spreader.
Here are a few guidelines to follow:
Soft, Fresh Cheeses
Uncooked, unripened cheeses, mild and
creamy with a slight tang; spreadable.
Cheese: Cream Cheese, Mascarpone, Neufchatel
Wine: Champagne
Fruit: Apples, Grapes, Pears, Mango, Melons
Soft Ripened Cheese:
Mild with smooth and creamy-to-oozy textures with thin skins.
- Cheese: Brie, Camembert
- Wines: Beaujolais, Cabernet Sauvignon, Champagne, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Port, Sherry
- Fruits: Plums, Berries, Apples
- Semi-Soft Cheeses:
- Mild, buttery taste and smooth texture; easily sliced
- Cheese: Fontina
- Wines: Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio
- Fruit: Apples, Pears
- Cheese: Havarti
- Wines: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Rose'
- Fruits: Grapes, Pears, Raisins
- Cheese: Monterey Jack, Muenster
- Wines: Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
- Fruits: Plums, Strawberries, Peaches
- Cheese: Mozzarella (fresh)
- Wines: Beaujolais, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir
- Fruits: Berries, Melons, Peaches, Pineapple
- Semi-Hard Cheeses:
- Some of the most recognizable cheeses.
- Cheeses: Cheddar, Edam, Gouda
- Wines: Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling
- Fruits: Apples, Grapes, Peaches, Pears
- Cheese: Emmentaler, Swiss
- Wines: Champagne, Gewürtzraminer, Riesling
- Fruit: Apples, Grapes, Peaches, Pears
- Cheese: Gruyère, Provolone
- Wines: Amarone, Beaujolais, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Sauternes, Sauvignon Blanc, Port
- Fruits: Grapes, Melons, Peaches, Pineapple
- Hard Cheeses:
- Aged cheese with intense, sharp flavors.
- Cheese: Aged Asiago
- Wines: Bardolino, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Rioja, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
- Fruits: Apples, Pears
- Cheese: Parmesan
- Wines: Burgundy, Chianti, Merlot, Riesling
- Fruits: Apples, Figs, Grapes
- Cheese: Romano
- Wines: Amarone, Barbesco, Barolo, Chianti, Zinfandel
- Fruit: Melon, Mangos
- Blue-Veined Cheese
- Intensely sharp, pungent, aromatic with earthly flavors
- Cheeses: Blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort
- Wines: Amarone, Moscato, Port, Sauternes
- Fruit: Apples, Grapes, Pears
- Cheese: Stilton
- Wine: Port
- Fruit: Pears
- Goat Cheese:
- Sharp and tangy flavors
- Cheese: Chèvre, Feta
- Wines: Champagne, Chenin Blanc, Pouilly Fumè, Sancerre
- Fruits: Apples, Pears, Peaches
- Chocolates:
- Champagne and Sparkling Wines go with all chocolate types.
- All fruit can be pared with chocolates.
- White Chocolate
- Wines: Sherry, Muscat, Fruity Chardonnay, Moscato d' Asti
- Milk Chocolate
- Wines: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Muscat, Champagne
- Dark Chocolate
- Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pino Noir, Port, Chianti
- Bittersweet Chocolate
- Wines: Bordeaux. Beaujolais, Shiraz, Orange Muscat, Port
- Wine, Cheese
Guidelines are lightly adapted from: Great Party Recipes