It’s the start of the holiday party season: Try a wine & cheese party

Tonight marks my first official Holiday Party. Seems early, but it’s the only time Jeff and I could get together with our friends Steve and Sara.

The last time the four of us hung out, we got the top floor of a local Italian place all to ourselves. Before this, we went to a winery. We’re not alcoholics, honestly. We just … like wine.

And it will be a good time. Because when the four of us hang out, we tend to bring lots of wine. And cheese. And pretend we know how to pair the two and speak in a British accent (not really on the accent … but we should).

I like this kind of theme because it is an impossibly easy way to turn a regular dinner get-together into something a little fake-fancy-pants. One party brings the wine; the other brings the cheese. You start out trying to figure out if you can really see how the taste of one compliments the other and end up with empty wine bottles and cheese crumbs on the kitchen floor.

The wines and, where relevant, cheeses:

• Green Truck Cabernet Sauvignon–chipotle gouda
• Firesteed Pinot Noir–Chaumes, a soft cheese similar to brie, but yummier (that’s the technical term)
• Ménage a Trois midnight dark red blend*
• Once Upon a Vine Sauvignon Blanc–parmigiano reggiano
• And, because I don’t like uber dry wines, I picked up a Be Flirty pink moscato*

*The two extra cheeses that don’t, per se, pair with any wines are a porter cheddar and Chellino Cheese scamorza, which is close to a mozzarella but better. Then again, I’m biased: My papa owns Chellino Cheese, and I grew up with it. Before our wine and cheese tasting, I’m making pizza with it. It makes the greatest pizza that ever pizza’d. You are welcome to be a little jealous.

Here is a cruddy picture of Papa’s scamorza from my Facebook page last summer. Comments from cousins and others in-the-know include: “Best cheese ever!” “Overcome with Jealousy! I waaaaant thaaaaat cheeeeeese!!!!!!” “Screw the pie, just eat the cheese.”

The last time the four of us wined and cheesed, we discovered some new favorite cheeses–specifically, manchego, a hard cheese with small grainy bits.

Have you done anything like this before? Which wine/cheese combo is your favorite?