Wine & Cheese Soiree Tips n Tricks

Nov 15, 2013 | Eats, Lifestyle

Who doesn’t loooove a wine & cheese party?? The wine…the cheese….

The boys end up drinking cheap beer, and ample wine is left for the ladies! (evidence below).

It’s really a scientific combination, ya know…something, something…the fat in cheese helps return the balance to our mouths after the tannins in the wine have made it feel rough..andd of course it helps prevent a hangover.

(The evidence I mentioned..)

I didn’t go all out with the perfect pairings of wine and cheese– I just enjoyed mixing and matching (this is predominantly cheap Trader Joe’s wine we are talking about, after all…a note on that at the bottom of post).

But I did enjoy pulling together a few decorations to make my party O-ffish wine n cheese themed. I made little sparkly name cards for the cheese & snacks out of wine corks, and popped the bottom off a wine bottle to make a candle– surprisingly easy to do..see youtube link below. Also below- a summary of my party essentials:

Cupcake/dessert stand and gold cupcake liners: Michaels— be sure to grab one of their 40% off- a-single-item coupons that are constantly in rotation!
Double Heart Tray: Bed Bath & Beyond
Chocolate Peppermint Bread mix: Trader Joe’s (you can also buy it on Amazon)
Spinach dip is always a party fave– whip up a healthy version by using Greek yogurt instead of mayo or cream cheese..it still tastes amaaze, I promise. Add about a cup of Greek yogurt, canned spinach, hidden valley vegetable powdered mix, and a ranch flavoring packet for some added oomph.
Cheese name cards: Beautiful paper from Michaels; simply cut a sliver off of the cork so that it stands up without rolling about, and carve a line down the center to insert the card into. For the label shape on top of the gold glitter paper– I just drew a shape and then retraced it several times.
Wine bottle candle: Here is the link to the youtube vid that demonstrates how to do it. All you need is string (or yarn), nail polish remover, a flame, and cold water. Dip the string in nail polish remover, wrap it around the base of the bottle and light it on fire, rotating until the flame goes out. Then dunk it in cold water and POP- off it goes. Pretty amazing really.