The autumn season is a wonderful time of year to invite friends and family over for a wine tasting event. It’s great for getting to know one another even better, catch up and try new wines. An autumn wine and cheese party also give everyone the opportunity to experiment with various combinations that they may never have thought of before. So, as the host, here are some tips to help you set it all up.

Get guests involved

Instead of going out and buying all of the wine and cheese yourself, you can create a list and have your guests pitch in. The key is to make sure that you specify the type of wine as well as the type of cheese along with the quantities of each. You can also ask your guests about their preferences and what they enjoy. It’s always good to get feedback during the planning phase.

Preparing the extras

As the host, you will need to step it up a little bit more. This means that you should be prepared to provide extras like breads, crackers, bruschetta and other delicious finger foods and snacks. Nuts are popular as well as certain fresh fruits like apples and grapes. Keep the flavours simple and make sure that you cater to everyone’s preferences as much as possible.

Something fun

As part of the preparation, you can print out some sheets that include evaluations of the various wines, cheeses and ask your guests to rate the various pairings. You can also print cards for the tables that include names of all the cheeses and place each type of cheese close to the wines with which they are best paired.

Remember to include non-alcoholic beverages for any designated drivers and water should also be available to clear the pallet from time to time. Keep plenty of wine glasses on hand and make sure that you have red, white and sparkling wine glasses for your guests. Yes, there is a lot of planning that goes into a wine and cheese event but it will certainly be a memorable occasion and your guests will provide you with valuable feedback regarding their favourites. You can share these findings with everyone after the event and you can use this information to ensure that you always provide your guests with their favourite wine and cheese at every other event during the year.