How to Select Supplies for a Wine and Cheese Party

Bottles of wine and blocks of cheese are the basic ingredients of a wine and cheese party. Your job is getting these ingredients into the hands of your guests. Select the supplies you need to host a successful party.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Select Supplies for a Wine and Cheese Party

1. Make sure you have enough wine glasses for each guest. If you plan to serve both red and white wines, provide separate wine glasses for each.

2. Provide separate glasses for champagne, sparkling and dessert wines.

3. Use a cheese slicer to cut and serve your cheese. Cheese has a tendency to stick to regular knives, making cutting difficult.

4. Provide proper utensils if you plan to have your guests serve themselves. Each cheese should have its own knife.

5. Secure a wine bottle opener. Select a simple corkscrew bottle opener or splurge for an advanced wine opener.

6. Obtain toothpicks for your guests to use to pick through the cheese.

7. Provide water for sipping between tastes of wine.

8. Purchase platters and cheese boards for presenting cheese selections.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage your guests to RSVP so you have plenty of party supplies to go around. If you don't have an exact number, remember that buying too much is better than running out of supplies.
• Remember that wine glasses do not have to be made of expensive crystal.
• The size and shape of a wine glass contributes to the overall flavor of a wine. Wine glasses are built to bring out the best in the wines you pour into them.
• If you prefer to have just one wine glass per guest, find an option that has a wider bottom, tapering up to a smaller opening.
• A cheese slicer is just a thin wire pulled across a handle. It provides no surface area for cheese to stick to.
• Firm cheeses require a very sharp knife or a cheese slicer. Since a cheese slicer has no sharp edges, it may be the better choice. Soft, spreadable cheeses can be cut with a butter knife.
• When you choose a more advanced wine opener, you can virtually eliminate cork mess. Also, you won't need an inordinate amount of strength to open bottles.