Wine & Cheese Party Tips

Five entertaining secrets from the Cheesewhizzes.

Plus: Creating the Perfect Cheese Plate

Cheese Party Essentials:

Slate serving boards

Instead of buying a fancy cheeseboard, use slate tiles from the hardware store. Write the names of the cheeses on the tiles with chalk, or use note cards.

A knife for every cheese

Set out a separate knife for each cheese to prevent mixing flavors. Cheese knives are great, but butter knives and paring knives work well, too.

Wineglass labels

Have guests write their names directly on their wineglass with a Sharpie marker. The ink washes off with soap and water.

Nonalcoholic options

Serve nonalcoholic drinks to help pace the evening. For a sparkling-wine party, serve sparkling water mixed with different fruit purees.

 Delicious Nonalcoholic Drink Recipes

Leftovers

Remember to have lots of plastic bags or containers on hand so you can save any extra cheese to bring home for making mac and cheese.

More Wine and Cheese Tips:

How to Throw a Great Wine & Cheese Party

A Sparkling Wine & Cheese Tasting Party

15 Rules for Great Pairings

Published December 2009