How to Host the Perfect Wine and Cheese Gathering

Boy, are you in for a treat today! If you love a good wine & cheese pairing as much as we do, we’re about to make your mouths water – significantly. So, we recommend you begin the party prep post-reading, so you can satisfy your satiation for a soft brie and glass of merlot ASAP. The lovely ladies at Beijos Events designed this spectacular setup for their own wine and cheese gathering. They also brought in a few pros to show us how to do the whole cheese board and wine pairing thing right. Read on below for their super helpful tips.

Christmas is literally around the corner. Bring on all the holiday get-togethers with family and friends! Is it just me or is every weekend in December filled to the brim with festive functions? Can’t complain whatsoever, but it sure does make December blow by. Being a party planner myself, you could guess I love any excuse and any holiday to throw a little get together. Yes, I do! And Christmas, well that is just the Mack Daddy event of the whole year! With the hustle of the time of the year, I like to go a little low key and throw a wine and cheese gathering for close pals.

There are four essential components to throwing the perfect wine and cheese gathering. With the help from some of our favorite friends, we are sharing our tips and tricks on how to produce the perfect wine and cheese gathering this holiday season. 

First – Well, you need something to put all the yummy goodies on. We teamed up with our favorite home store, Williams-Sonoma to create this festive tabletop. We placed our charcuterie yummies on the Marble + Wood Cheese boards. I just love the combination of the natural wood mixed with the white marble to bring an elegant, low-key vibe to the table. I like to mix natural elements with a touch of elegance for the holidays. These vintage etched tumblers were the perfect pop of beauty for the party. When you add wine to these beauties the etched flowers just pop! So pretty! Marble was a key theme throughout this setup, from the cheese boards to the napkin rings and coasters. My favorite bone handled cheese knives were the last touch to this natural tablescape. 

Second – The cheese and wine of course! Now that you have the perfect setup complete with boards, knives, glassware, napkins, and coasters you have to fill it all up! I went to the experts to show me how to create a holiday cheese platter and the perfect wine to go with it. 

Molly from Organicopia lets us in on how she does it so perfectly, and the best part is it’s not hard at all! 

“Who doesn’t love a killer cheese plate? In culinary school, I learned that you need to have a hard cheese, soft cheeses, semi-soft cheeses, and blues. I don’t follow that when making a cheese platter. I go to my local cheesemonger- my favorite happens to be at whole foods- and I ask them what the newest and best cheeses are that they have. Personally, I prefer unpasteurized soft rind cheeses.  Salty,  creamy, rich and fatty. I love goat cheeses of all kinds and the more they fall off the rind, the better. 

For this cheese board, I stuck with my go-to favs. Truffle Tremor, brillatt (a triple cream Brie cheese, it’s saltier and creamier than regular Brie) and a St. Agur blue, which is also- softer and smoother. I love sweet with salty which is why I always serve cheese with local honey. This honey was special because it came straight from my bee whisperer, and had a super molasses undertone. It was a perfect marriage to my cheese delights. I also love briny olives and candied spiced nuts to serve with cheese for layered texture and flavor.  

Don’t worry about doing things proper. Do what makes your mouth water. Choose cheeses that you enjoy. Not just the ones you were “told” make the perfect board. It’s all based on flavor profiles and preference. I just happen to love soft ripe, stinky cheese- but you may love super salty, dry aged cheddar. Go with what you enjoy and most importantly- enjoy it with a glass of wine.”

We also went to the experts, ONEHope Wine to help us with the pairing.

Third – Flowers! No get together can be without a stunning flower arrangement. 

Go big or go home I say! Jennifer from Busy Bees Florals did just that! She went for natural darker tones to flow with the marble and wood tones. She used a mix of succulent, kale, cappuccino rose, spray roses, chocolate Queen Anne’s lace, ranunculus, greenery-blue acacia, and eucalyptus. I’m so in love with the Cappuccino roses! No one says you have to have red, white, and green for a Christmas gathering. Be different, and have fun with it!

Fourth – Lastly, glitter some holiday fun into the mix. We went with a classic black invite for this get-together. What more do you need to read than let’s get tipsy and toasty? I’m there! Meghann Miniello created some fun holiday sayings that we set amid the cheese platters. Finally, she designed personalized ornaments for each place setting and a fun favor to take home. 

Finally, some entertaining tips and tricks: 

– Have fun!
– Plan your menu ahead of time
– The morning of or night before set out your tablescape, so you just have to layout the food and drinks right before guests arrive.
– Don’t be a Scrooge! If your stressed, have a glass of wine and turn up that Christmas playlist. No one is stressed with a glass of wine in hand, and Christmas music in the background.
– Now, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like wine or champagne, but always good to have some soft drinks, beer, and of course water on hand.

Psst.. want more holiday goodness from the Beijos gals? You should also check out this boho holiday bash!