Wine and cheese tasting

What it is

A guided tasting for friends. You serve four wines, each with a cheese chosen to go with it, and guests score them as they go. It feels sophisticated but takes little work: everything is bought, not cooked. Good for a milestone birthday or an engagement get-together.

Plan ahead

• One week before: choose 4 wines from light to heavy. Example: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Malbec (or a port). One bottle serves about 12 tasting pours of 60ml.
• A few days before: order cheeses from a cheese shop or supermarket deli. Allow 30-40g of each cheese per person.
• The day before: print score cards: wine name, appearance, smell, taste, score out of 10, and “would I buy it?”.

Set the scene

Lay a long table with a white cloth, a tasting glass, a water glass and a score card at each place. Put the cheeses on boards with labels. Add candles, grapes, crackers, honey and nuts. Have a spittoon jug (an opaque jug) for those who don’t want to drink everything.

How to taste

1. Look: tilt the glass against a white napkin. Note the colour.
2. Swirl: release the aromas.
3. Smell: what does it remind you of? Fruit, flowers, wood, spice?
4. Sip: hold it in your mouth for a few seconds, then swallow.
5. Pair: taste the cheese, then sip again. Notice how they change each other.

Blind taste game

Cover two bottles with paper bags. Guests taste and guess which grape it is, which country, or the price (cheap vs expensive). The most accurate guesser wins a bottle.

Food and drink

• 4 cheeses as above plus crackers, crusty bread, honey, chutney, grapes, figs and walnuts
• Plenty of water
• A non-alcoholic option: alcohol-free wines or a grape juice tasting

Tips

• Serve whites chilled (fridge for 2 hours) and reds at room temperature.
• Take the cheese out of the fridge an hour before serving for the best flavour.
• Arrange lifts or taxis home.