

Happy Birthday to You: 8 Handmade Birthday Cards, Birthday Crafts, and Birthday Activities
Bonus: Get our newsletter & special offers for free. We will not share or sell your email address. View our Privacy Policy
How to Host a Wine Tasting at Home: The Wine and Cheese Party Guide
Enjoy the finer things in life by throwing an in-home wine tasting. Hosting a wine tasting can be easy once you learn wine and cheese pairings and more.

With a few easy tips, you can host your own wine tasting at home and impress your friends with your newfound skills. If you've always dreamt of being a wine connoisseur, read this article, How to Host a Wine Tasting at Home: The Wine and Cheese Party Guide. By throwing your own wine and cheese party, you and your friends can enjoy good times and learn even more about the world of fine wine. This is a great way to expand your wine pallet, and perhaps you'll even find a new favorite wine and cheese pairing.
Don't worry, dear host or hostess, about ruining your own evening of fun and friendship. With this foolproof guide, you can't go wrong. We've covered all the basics like wine selections, decorations, and snack ideas, so all you have to do is choose a theme! With this "to-do" style list, you can be sure that your party will be a hit. Hosting a wine tasting at home means that you get to be in charge of everything from the atmosphere to the flavors. If you're not a wine and cheese expert, we've even got a list where you can find the perfect wine and cheese pairing that will suit you and your guests. To make your evening even more special, why not try to make a few of the wine bottle crafts listed? They might just be the perfect finishing touch to the night's festivities.
Want a relaxing night with just you and the girls? With our collection, you will have the time of your life in the comfort of your own home surrounded by your besties: 29 Ideas for Girls Night In
Steps for Hosting a Wine Tasting
-
Select the wine. It's best to select no more than five types of wine when you're hosting a wine tasting at home, as any more than that will get overwhelming (and pricey!). Pick a combination of reds and whites, but be sure to serve them in order from lightest to darkest. An easy way to choose your wines is to stick to a specific region as your "theme." Think Tuscany or Napa Valley - or try sampling various wines from your own home state!
-
Gather your "party supplies."Â Wines should be served in Bordeaux glasses, but you only need one per person. (Tip: Don't rinse your glasses between each taste, as water droplets may dilute the wine.) It can even be fun to make your own coasters as a personal touch and a little something for your guests to remember the evening by. If you're going for elegant simplicity, we recommend these Pretty Stenciled Disc Coasters.
-
Prepare snacks. Your wine and cheese party can be more than just wine and cheese, you know. Feel free to serve anything from cheese straws and dried fruit to pistachios and rich chocolate. For something a little more traditional, there's nothing like this Copycat Olive Garden Breadstick Recipe.
-
Create a special playlist. Music makes everything better and really helps set whatever mood you envision. From Marvin Gaye to Van Morrison to Bill Withers, there are so many artists with so many unique styles. Choose a CD of your favorite performer, or create your own playlist to blend multiple genres and sounds.
-
Learn how to savor the flavor. On the evening of your wine tasting at home, you will want to make observations about the wine's look, scent, and (of course) taste. Is the wine bright or dark? Does it smell fruity, floral, herbal, or earthy? When it comes to taste, be sure to "slurp" the wine as you would a cup of hot coffee. This aerates the wine and brings out its true flavor.
Wine and Cheese Pairings
-
Bloomy. Cheeses such as camembert, brie, robiola, and taleggio pair well with champagne, chardonnay, sparkling wine, and pinot blanc.
-
Hard. Cheeses such as gouda, cheddar, parmesan, double gloucester, pecorino, gruyere, and fontina pair well with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chianti, zinfandel, valpolicella, sauvignon blanc, and bardolino.
-
Blue. Cheeses such as gorgonzola, stilton, blue, and cambozola pair well with port, sauternes, riesling, and eiswein.
-
Fresh. Cheeses such as ricotta, mozzarella, goat, feta, and burrata pair well with pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, beaujolais, and tocai friulano.
DIY Party Decorations to Add a Touch of Class
Wine and Cheese Pairing Chart
Need a little help matching that delicious wine with the perfect cheese? Our wine and cheese pairing chart is a handy tool that you can have on-hand at your next celebration. Wondering which wine will go best with that rich wedge of gouda from the deli aisle? Are you dying to add a little savory flavor to your palette as you sip a chilled glass of riesling? Click here to download our handy wine and cheese pairing chart, and you'll feel like a true pro!
Throw the most relaxing party of your life! We've gathered all the information you'll need with this guide: How to Throw a Spa Party and 8 Homemade Bath Products
What is your favorite type of wine? Answer in the comments below!
Free projects, giveaways, exclusive partner offers, and more straight to your inbox!
Tags / Related Topics
Your Recently Viewed Projects
Images from other crafters

Project of the Day
The Cutest Christmas Wreath You Have Ever Seen
If you are looking for easy Christmas wreaths to make, The Cutest Christmas Wreath You Have Ever Seen is the perfect craft for you.… Continue reading: "The Cutest Christmas Wreath You Have Ever Seen"
What's Hot
- 15 Thank You Gifts and Hostess Gift Ideas To Show Your Gratitude
- One-Hour Hostess Gift Votives
- Beautiful Coffee Filter Garland
- DIY Easy Floating Flower Candles
- 29 Ideas for Girls Night In
- 20 Sweet DIY Candy Decorations
- Themed Party Ideas You Wish You Thought Of
- Tiny Paper DIY Purse
- DIY Butterfly Balloons
- 100+ Wreaths: How to Make Homemade Wreaths for Every Season

Something worth saving?
- SAVE your favorite projects
- ADD personal reminder notes
- QUICKLY reference your projects
Our Newest Projects & Articles
- Textured Crochet Fleece Blanket
- Sweet Dreams Easy Quilt Pattern
- Printable Hello Spring Coloring Page
- Egg-scellent Easter Egg Coloring Pages
- Fun Bee Coloring Pages
- Fun Easter Coloring Pages
- Colorful Crochet Easter Eggs
- Free Mother’s Day Cards For Kids: Fantastic 3d Coloring Fun And More
- Paper Easter Basket Craft
- Easter Chick Gift Bag
Free eBooks
- 10 Free Flower Tutorials: How to Make Fabric Flowers, Flowers from Paper, and More
- 10 Mason Jar Crafts: DIY Home Decor and Handmade Gifts in a Jar
- 10 Summer Craft Ideas and Garden Crafts for Summer
- DIY Wedding Ideas: 14 Wedding Crafts, DIY Wedding Gifts, and More
- Fun Easter Crafts: 9 Easter Decorating Ideas
- Handmade Wreaths for All Seasons: 14 Wreath Tutorials
- Happy Birthday to You: 8 Handmade Birthday Cards, Birthday Crafts, and Birthday Activities
- How to Make Easter Crafts: 7 Cute Easter Craft Projects
- Mother's Day Crafts: 9 Gift Ideas and Crafts for Mother's Day
- Valentines Day Ideas: 14 Heart Crafts and Cute Valentines Day Crafts