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Cheese, Manners, and Hospitality
Yup, You Read That Right

By Tami Lancut Leibovitz
May 26th, 2014

In preparation for the upcoming Shavuot holiday, many readers inquired as to any special rules one should follow when hosting the event at their house. In the following blog post, I’ve grouped together a couple of guidelines to help you host this wonderful holiday.

Cheese has played a central role in Western culture for hundreds of years, and as such many cheese products are considered exotic and luxurious food items. Throughout the years, a method has been developed to combine the right cheese with the right wine. During these past few years, it has become very fashionable to host “wine and cheese” dinner parties.

These days, the cheese selection is extremely varied and robust. We have the option of choosing from many different kinds of cheese, each with its own unique texture and taste. You might sort your cheeses by hardness, aging length, country of origin, and more. There are also soft cheeses, which do not take long to prepare and do not go through an aging process. These types of cheese are usually eaten with their skin (if applicable), and can also be spread on bread - they include Mascarpone, Ricotta, White Cheese, Cottage Cheese, and more.
In contrast, there are hard cheeses which do go through an aging process - these include Gouda, Parmesan, Cheddar, Kashkaval, and more.

A Few Tips For Hosting A Wine And Cheese Event

• If you’re inviting a significant amount of guests make sure to offer a varied selection of wines, clean and accessible wine glasses, and a place where the remainder of the wine may be poured. In addition, offer various types of bread which are differentiated by their taste and constitution, and place small plates with different types of crackers around the room.
• It is advised to pour your wine into a decanter before your guests arrive, especially any “heavy” red wines you may be offering - this allows the wine to breath and brings out its unique flavors. It is very important to serve the cheese at room temperature.
• Any hard cheeses should be placed on an appropriate cutting board (preferably wood), alongside a suitable cheese knife.
• Distribute cutleries and toothpicks (to stick into any cut cheese) appropriately around the room.
• You may also add fruit and nuts with your cheese. Try combining dried fruit such as apricots, figs, and cherries; also consider fresh fruit such as apricots, apples, figs, and plums; and finally, look at serving almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans alongside the cheese.
• Cheese makes for the perfect desert, and turns every meal into a celebration.

Useful Tips if You’re Invited to a Wine and Cheese Dinner Party

• Always use the appropriate knife for each cheese to avoid mixing up flavors.
• Cut the cheese from it’s center outwards.
• Even though its easier to eat the cheese with your hands (especially hard cheese which tends to break apart), try avoiding it and using the cutleries and toothpicks instead.
• Generally, soft cheeses have edible crust and should be eaten. However, hard cheeses tend to have a dry crust and eating it should be avoided.
• Soft cheeses should be cut with their respective knife and placed on a cracker, which you should put on your plate and continue to eat with your hands.
• Hard cheeses will usually be sliced ahead of time and have a toothpick stuck in them. Pick up the cheese by the toothpick and place the entirety of the cheese slice in your mouth.
• In case you are not used to drinking large amounts of wine, it is not impolite to say so and you should be honest as to your preference and tolerance.
• Don’t overload your plate, especially if you are presented with cheese you’re not familiar with. It is better to make frequent trips to the buffet table than to leave unwanted or leftover cheese on your plate. Under no circumstance should you place cheese you’ve cut back onto the offering plate - even if you didn’t touch it.