Party on a Budget with Wine and Cheese

July 10, 2008 Wine & Dine

Throwing a Wine and Cheese Party for Cheap

Remember all those keggers from college? Everyone chipped in a $20 and suddenly the apartment was filled with alcohol. Tell everyone else to bring a 6-pack, and the next you know, you’re watching a video of yourself the next morning without a shirt double-fisting Coronas in your mouth.

Ew. You’re a grown up now. You have to pay for your own health insurance, so why not party like an adult? Trouble is, partying like an adult gets pricey real fast. What about an affordable yet sophisticated wine and cheese party? The beauty of wine and cheese is that everyone can contribute without breaking the bank and still have enough booze and food to go around. Quit “wining” and get a move on this budget-friendly departure from the typical summer barbecue!

Start by sending out free invitations through eVite or Facebook to all of your friends. Make sure to include that they should bring a bottle of wine. If your friends can’t appreciate fermented grape juice, ask them to bring a 6-pack of their favorite import. For your non-drinking buddies, ask them to bring a bottle of Martinelli’s apple cider.

Wine bottles are usually good for about 4 glasses worth, which means if you invite 12 people, you need at least 6 bottles for everyone to have two full glasses of wine. When your friends inevitably call to ask what kind of wine to bring , why not suggest these choices? All of these are available at Trader Joe’s:

Charles Shaw Merlot. The California vineyard has decent wine at — wait for it — $2 a bottle, hence the nickname, “Two Buck Chuck.”

2005 Contadino Pinot Grigio Frizzante . This wine is not to sweet, goes well with food, easy to drink and priced at a low, low $3.99.

NV Schloss Biebrich Sekt. Leave it to the Germans to come up with a sparkling wine for only $3.99 that tastes great and is the perfect compliment to spicier foods.

NV Incanto Frizzante Rose. This hot pink sparkling will appeal to even the girls who hate pink. For $5.99, it’s a cheap wine that everyone will be talking about.

There are plenty of other options for under $10 at Whole Foods or Beverages and More. In fact, try to see if you can time your party so it coincides with BevMo’s wine sales, when you can buy one bottle and get another for a penny.

Next, set up your dining table with a plastic papercloth to catch cracker crumbs and cheese bits, as well as wine spillage. Head over to the grocery and pick up a party platter of cheeses and fruits, or DIY by going to the local farmer’s market and picking out a few massive bunches of grapes. Arrange some crackers and cut up the cheese into bite-size pieces before guests arrive. Get creative and arrange them how you like — in a circle, a happy face, whatever. You know who your cheap friends are, so buy a couple of cheap bottles, one white and one red, just in case they bail.

Once again, wine and cheese parties are fun and a little something different from the typical hot dog eating contest at the beach. Celebrate adulthood in style and savor the warm summer evenings with a chilled glass of chardonnay. Now that’s living richly, my friends.