Cheese Please

There are few things better than getting a group of friends together to laugh (and drink) the night away.  I love hosting parties and I had been planning my latest for a while now.  One of the best wedding gifts we received was a Wine and Cheese pairing book along with a beautiful cheese board made from a wine barrel.  Well, the book was so fascinating and informative on the world of cheese, that it inspired me to host my closest girlfriends last night for a wine and cheese party!

(Clockwise from top left: Beth, Gina Mariah and Rocco, wine bottles galore, Mariah, Rocco and I, Sara and Gina, my cheese and wine book, Mary and Beth, our spread)  My appologies to Lindy who I somehow did not get in a photo.

All the girls were responsible for bringing an assigned bottle of wine that was paired with cheeses and snacks that I provided.  I put out some little notes on each cheese along with the pairings they match best with.  This was the only 'formal' aspect to the evening, the rest was story-telling, lots of giddy laughter and consumption of deliciousness.  It was a lot of wine, but like true champions we were able to tackle them all!

What I loved most about the book was that it gave some background information on over 50 popular cheese from across the globe.  There were descriptions on flavor profiles, texture, color and the process to make each particular cheese.  The pairings were quite delicious, especially the parmigiano-reggiano and champagne and the Zinfandel and 2-year aged cheddar.

The night was a hit and so easy to put on.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone for an excuse to get your friends together and learn a bit more about wine/food pairings.