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How to Host the Best Wine Tasting Party this Holiday Season

Gather friends and throw a fabulous wine-tasting party! Easy ideas to create a delicious grazing table to enjoy while sipping the night away.

It’s the holiday season and what better way to celebrate this merry time of year than to host a wine-tasting party with friends?

No time before Christmas?

This gathering is a perfect way to ring in the New Year.

Have plans already for New Year’s Eve?

That’s okay because honestly, wine is good any time of the year not just during the holidays!

Are we right?!

It’s time to get together with our friends Stacy, Rachel, Jen, and Michele for our monthly virtual supper club.

For almost two years (wow time sure does fly by when we’re having fun) we’ve been sharing entertaining ideas here on the blog…everything from tablescapes to party themes to recipes and more.

Each month a guest host joins our group of five to bring you even more inspiration for your next celebration, party, or gathering.

We’re thrilled to welcome Heidi, from Eleanor Rose Home this month.

Heidi lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two children, and her fur baby Ellie.

You have to go check out her blog where she shares gorgeous decorating ideas and yummy recipes from her beautiful farmhouse cottage home.

This month our virtual supper club is featuring wine and cheese party tablescape ideas today and delicious recipes Saturday so be sure to come back so you don’t miss them!

Get the links to our previous tablescapes for even more inspiration at the end of this post.

If you’re joining us from our friend Jen at Midwest Life and Style or if you’re new to our blog…

Hey there & welcome!

bloggers AnnMarie and Anne standing in front of dining table

Anne is the short one, and that’s me, AnnMarie, the taller one, the two moms behind this blog.

Hey there hey!

We work together to share simple and budget-friendly ideas for decoratingrecipesDIY projects, and tips for life with older teens (and beyond!).

You can read more about us and our families here.

And we would love to learn more about you! Be sure to say “hi” in the comments below and tell me where you’re visiting from.

But that’s enough about us…let’s talk more about this month’s theme… and my fun wine-tasting party ideas!

Posts on Simply2Moms may contain affiliate links which means we may earn a small commission on purchases at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  You can read our full disclosure policy here.

Why Should I Host a Wine Tasting Party?

six girlfriends standing side by side at wine tasting party

So why throw a wine-tasting party?

Well, the short answer is it’s super fun!

Anne started a book club years ago and at that first gathering, there had to be over 25 women who came.

Over the years that number has dwindled to about 6 to 8 women who regularly attend book club.

If you want to learn more about starting a book club? Just click this link to read Anne’s blog post here.

Anyway, we’re all about the same age and have kids in the same stages of life so we have a lot in common and wind up chatting more about life than about the book.

Eventually, we transitioned our monthly meetings to a local wine bar with cozy conversation seating areas where we could meet and enjoy a glass of wine with our friends.

My kids joke and call it “my wine club” because I don’t usually read the books but still go to our get-togethers.

So it only seemed fitting that when the theme for this month’s virtual supper club was a wine and cheese party we invited our book club to my house.

How to Prepare for a Wine Party

twelve wine bottles on bar console table decorated for the holidays

You don’t need much to host a wine-tasting party.

Just some great friends, good wine, and delicious snack foods.

S2M tip: It doesn’t have to be fancy to be fun!

We asked each person to bring two bottles of their favorite one.

One bottle to share and one to exchange.

side board console table styled with gold vase and lantern basket with white poinsettia

I set up wine glasses and small charcuterie wood plates on my sideboard buffet table.

Placed a few live poinsettias around the room for some extra holiday cheer to go with the neutral faux greenery and gold metal accents in the space.

small wood boards stacked on buffet table next to wine glasses

These custom bamboo cheese and wine boards were gifted to me by our good friend Katrina from PNW Farmhouse Design Co.

Katrina is an amazing creator! I had a vision of what I wanted for this party and she designed and crafted the perfect appetizer plates for our party.

If you’re looking for a custom wood gift idea for someone or need something for yourself contact Katrina or her Etsy shop here.

basket with white poinsettia next to wine glasses and wreath hung on mirror above

I also set out wine glasses for each of us to use for our wine tasting.

We just rinsed them out after each sample but you could also buy disposable cups if you prefer a new glass for each tasting.

Where to Sample Each Wine During My Party

AnnMarie pouring wine in glass with friend

Our small group moved into the kitchen and gathered around the island to try out everyone’s favorite wine.

I mean aren’t the best parties the ones that happen around a kitchen island?

Plus we were close to the sink to give our glasses a quick rinse between each pour.

wine glasses with sample for wine tasting party

When pouring samples only give each person enough for a sip or two since the idea is to just have a taste of each wine not drink half a glass of each. lol

We had five red wines and one white to taste.

I guess the holidays are the time of year when we tend to drink more red wine than white.

Well, except me since I don’t like red wine…or at least I didn’t think I did.

This tasting party allowed me to try different reds I had never tried before.

And guess what?

I actually liked three of the five red wines we had here at the party.

So apparently I can’t say I don’t like red wine anymore.

Once everyone tried each variety we all chose one that we loved and poured ourselves a glass to enjoy.

What Food Should I Serve at a Wine Tasting

overhead view of wine and cheese party grazing table

Cheese pairs very well with wine but how do you figure out what kind of cheese to serve?

A quick search on Google will give you some ideas but this article for beginners is helpful.

Chocolate and dessert foods also go nicely with different wines.

Since we didn’t know what kind of wine our friends were bringing we went with a variety of food options.

And just look at that amazing spread!

Anne took the lead on the food for our tasting party and did all the shopping and preparing.

Then she lugged everything over to my house and we got to work assembling this incredible grazing table.

cheese nuts olives meats displayed on grazing table

The table was filled with a wide variety of cheeses…

different kinds of meats…

bit-size cuts of veggies with dips…

olives and pickles…

sliced and whole fruits…

view of various types of crackers on charcuterie wine and cheese tablescape

But that’s not all…

there were also lots of crackers and breadsticks…

different kinds of nuts…

oh and don’t forget the sweets…

cookies, macaroons, and chocolate too!

AnnMarie using appetizer wood tray with her wine glass

I was pretty excited to fill up my appetizer cheese board and sip my new favorite red.

Anne knocked it out of the park with all the snacks to go along with our wine!

We’ll share more about how to build a grazing table like this in a future blog post so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it.

Anne holding charcuterie appetizer wood board with wine glass

Anne munched on some delicious cheese options, salami, and olives.

And of course, she drank a smooth red, her cold-weather fave, to go along with her snack.

charcuterie boards styled on dining table for self serve buffet at party

I rolled this pretty Kraft-style wrapping paper with mini gold foil dots on the table before we put together our grazing table filled with charcuterie boards.

A couple of small poinsettia plants in little gold buckets with a set of three gold candle sticks on either end of the table bring a holiday feeling to the display.

gold votive candle on wood board next to appetizers dining table

A few small gold mercury glass votive holders on risers mixed in also add a bit of sparkle to the table.

At the end of the night before everyone left we each chose a bottle of unopened wine to take home.

I hope we inspired you to plan a fun night with your best girlfriends and host your own wine and cheese-tasting party!

Keep reading to see our blogging friend’s variations of their wine parties below.

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collage of products to host a wine tasting party gathering

More Wine and Cheese Party Tablescape Ideas from Our Friends

Next up on the tour is our guest host Heidi from Eleanor Rose Home.

Be sure to click each of the blog names below the photos to get even more inspiration for your wine-tasting get-together.

Get all of our previous virtual supper club ideas here.

If you’re a blogger and you’d like to join our virtual dinner club for a month leave us a comment below or contact us here.

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

Don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories! We’d love for you to follow us on social media! You can find us on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

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