wine & cheese party for people I want to impress?

Question

I have invited a group of people that I really want to impress. They are a group of female executives in their late 30s-early 40s. I want to do a wine and cheese thing. I have connections to get great wine & cheese-but what can I do to make the whole thing seem expensive? What music and decorations would you suggest?

Answer 1

Fresh flowers and some votive candles around the house are good for tasteful decorations.

Use your best wine glasses!

For music I would say east listening or soft jazz

Answer 2

Remember that "thirty" is the new "twenty" and "forty" is new "thirty'. Unless these people are from the country club and dedicatedly old fashioned, leave out the chamber music and brie. Go with modern music, trancy and nice, get a large playlist on an ipod, with lots of music, in genre's, perhaps the mood will start soft, and get upbeat.

I find that at any age we are all the same, people just want to cut loose and have fun. Have lots of stuff to look at and make conversation. A trip to Target and the poster store, and perhaps some mail order items, or pulling some relics out of the attic just to talk about them, might be a good idea. Large colorful things, like a framed comic book, a conch shell and snowglobe, can make the difference between conversation and stagnation.

Don't forget that cheese can be challenging, especially some of the smelly rank ones. Be sure you know what your getting into before the room smells like socks.

Gorganzola is crumbly but I like the way it tastes, marinated Mozzarella balls with sun dried tomatoes is always nice for those less adventurous types.. Fresh grapes and pitted cucumber will balance the cheese. Figs are nice too and are in season. Fresh Pineapples look nice, whole and perhaps one can be cut up.

When you go olives, get the Pitted not-so-cured large green ones, they are the best. Avoid anything difficult, with sharp pits. We wouldn't want anyone losing a filling.

See if you can make two setups spread at opposite ends of the room, this way everyone spread around and there isn't a place where someone might feel alienated.

For wine, I like Cotes du Rhone and Sherry.

80's new wave is a cool theme, and is always hip. Throw in some 90's, and bring em back ol'school.. Mix in modern songs from iTunes and don't forget to play the crowd.

However, if it is that kind of traditional party, then I guess this is all wrong, and bring on the Einekleinenachtmusik.

Answer 3

I personally think that if you want to impress and you got the connections to get the good wine and cheese. Then pick a viariaty of music. People, no matter who they are, it seems do not like to be stuck in a small room with low lights and the same old music playing. So shake things up a bit. Play some Rock and roll, jazz, hip hop, country, rap, opra, classical, reggaeect, you get the point. Just have fun with this party. Have fun with the music also. Make the theme laid back and don't go so far out that people feel stiff and uncomfortable. I would suggest your decorations to be very nice and clean like. clear the house of to much clutter. Make the decorations white. You could buy one ice sculpture and place it in the middle of the room also. After you do this then take the wine and cheese, place around the ice sculpture to keep them cool, while at the same time it will look good. Have plenty of seating that's soft to sit on. Women like to be comfortable when they are looking good and having a drink. Be sure to have really nice wine glasses. Also, hire someone to pass the wine and cheese around for the executives. Trust me. These women will appriciate the fact that they do not have to walk to get a drink or a bite to eat. Let your guest feel completly at home while having a nice drink and listening to different kinds of music. The diversity of things will make all the guest feel welcome. And the white makes things feel clean and neat. Women love this. The soft seating will make room for nice conversations and smile for everyone.Great wine glasses are just common since. Have fun. Cheers to you. God Bless you also.

Answer 4

Wine And Cheese Party Supplies

Answer 5

I would create a theme. Things always look pricey when they are seemless. Remember you can't please everyone but if you do something that you truly love it will be more comfortable /confident. And more likely to be impressive.
It's the smallest details that are likely to impress.
Matching stemware, be sure to have the appropriate glass for both red and white wine. Maybe have some wine cards, so guests can write down there favorites. Oh and really knowing the wines/wineries you are serving is impressive and good conversation.
Wine Decanters ( If you choose to use decanters remove labels and put them in a wine journal or similar book. So people can view.
Maybe hire a few people to serve wine and replenish your cheese trays etc. It will be a lot less then hiring a catering service and give the impression that you really went all out.

Answer 6

I'll start with the decorations. Get some empty white and red wine bottles. Have someone drill ( with a diamond tipped drill bit ) a hole near the bottom, large enough for a Christmas light bulb ( fairy light size ) to fit through. Thread a 20 light set through the hole. Set these lighted wine bottles at some of the cheese tasting stations ( more on this later ). At a few other stations, where they won't be bumped into, make wine glass candles. You can get the candle gel in tubes at any good craft store. they will also carry the wicks to insert. I would get the glasses at the local Dollar Tree.While at the dollar store, look for wine glass charms to put on the glasses to make them identifiable to each guest. You might want to serve up to eight different kinds of cheeses,including a good mix of mild,strong,soft and hard cheeses. Caculate about 2 ozs. of cheese per guest and plan on serving 3-4 wines to match the cheeses. Make sure you pair the right knife with each cheese. Get ( or make ) cheese markers. Create 3 or 4 wine and cheese stations throughout the room: on the coffe table, on the buffet or sideboard,etc. Here you can pair 2 or 3 cheeses with a well matched wine ( say, French wine and cheeses ). If you must serve crackers, make sure they are of the gourmet type. Small rounds of fresh baguette pair with just about anything. You should also choose a few accompaniments: speciality olives, lightly spiced nuts, dates and figs, etc. Place some artifical grapes ( red and green ) around the base of the lighted wine bottles to hide the cords. For music, play some soothing instrumental music. Keep it low as background sound. Relax and enjoy....nothing to cook, so you are free to join the party.

Answer 7

If there's time, try to find out as much as you can about the likes and/or dislikes of the people you've invited. Nothing big, just simple details like what books, magazines, newspapers do they regularly read. You can than browse current articles so that you're knowledgeable and place the periodicals out and about in your living space. Also, the background music is fairly important. Try to have an interesting mix--light classical and light contemporary (again, try to ascertain this info about what might appeal to your guests). Unless you plan to overhaul your entire home, decorations can be quite simple. Everyday flowers are fine, with perhaps an exotic plant or flower interspersed.
Perhaps try and get a cleaning person in to give your place a thorough cleaning, so that everything appears quite sparkling clean and fresh! Think about decorating the area that will present your spread (the wine and cheese). Make that the focal point. Pick a color scheme and build around it with simple touches.

That, and the fact that you are hooking them up with excellent wine and cheese should be quite nice.

Why is it that you are trying to make everything look "expensive?" Be yourself and bring out creative efforts that express YOU best. Sometimes, to make the best impression, less is more. Good luck! Hope this helps!

Answer 8

Consider the source! Wine and cheese are very European, and specifically in my experience, associated often with France. A possible option is that the theme is that of a French house.

Also consider presentation. To make cheese look good it shouldn't be sitting on glass, crystal, etc, but rather any form of a rustic-looking cutting board. Make sure that you maintain a sense of class while making sure it doesn't look like an attempt to be purely just expensive.

As far as music: Michael Bublé, the classic jazz greats, Norah Jones' jazzier stuff, etc. Consider that if you're appealing to a group of 30-to-40-year-old women, you're also targeting the same group that is generally interested in romantic comedies, and they feature that kind of music prominently quite often.

Candles are also a must. Make sure that they aren't overly fragrant if you plan on having many; in fact, considering you've got wine, I'd say you could skip the fragrance altogether. In keeping with a rustic look, go for tall candlesticks rather than the miniature votives. Also use rich colors like a dark red for the table settings, napkins, etc. Not only do they offer an elegant touch, but they make it less embarrassing and noticeable should somebody happen to spill any of their red wine.

Hope that helps!
Jonny

Answer 9

Personally, I would go for a black and white color scheme, with wooden furnishings. If you don't have wooden furnishings, you can rent them for relatively low cost.

Black cloth napkins, silver dining utensils, white china tableware, and your best wine glasses (crystal is better than glass.)

I would stay away from classical music. It's fairly cliche for this kind of party, and would probably make you look unoriginal. I would suggest Jazz, Big Band, or Lounge music. Don't play it very loudly, though.

For wine, I would do some research on what your guest's tastes are, and tailor your cheese selection to your wine. Don't get cheap wine. An experienced wine taster can tell the difference.

Add a small white floral arrangement in a slender black vase, dim your lighting, and put a name card on each guest's table-setting, and you'll have a party to remember!

Good luck with the party and best wishes!

Answer 10

The thing that will make this seem more pricey is what kind of glasses you serve the wine in, and how the cheese is presented. Having an immaculate area (I presume in your home) to host them in, and having some 'trendy' flowers in a vase on a table (like lillies or something) Having everything prepared before hand, so that when they come in, it's really easy to get everything out, etc. this will make you seem like a pro at hosting. Even down to having the wine pre chilled, pre breathed, having enough glasses for everyone to have a white and a red, and then a few extras for breakages, and forgot which one was mines, not to mention somewhere to rinse a glass in between tastes, and some water, with water glasses preferably.

They may be executives, but they are still human, any kind of boppy music should get the mood going.

Answer 11

Well, don't do it to impress them, for you will fail. The goal is for them to have a good time, not for you to show how marvelous. You rpreparations will speak for you.

What i would do is pair the proper cheese with the proper wine, so it is more than just a Gobblefest. Certainly let them experiment, but, for "dessert", pair a cheese with a port.

Music can be some soft jazz, as most will be too engaged in conversation to actually notice that you have played that same "Foreplay" CD eight times.

No decorations, just keep it simple (as you do not mention where this will be). Also, offer water so they can keep hydrated between tastings.

Again, focus on the quality of the event and let the rest happen and you'llhave your success