There’s something about a beautiful charcuterie board that makes any gathering feel special! A few weekends ago, we hosted a wine and charcuterie party with friends, and it ended up being such a fun evening filled with yummy food, a little friendly competition, and zero hostess stress.
If you’re looking for party ideas that are simple to pull together but still feel stylish and memorable, I’m sharing all the details from our night plus several other charcuterie party ideas you can steal for your own get-together! (post includes commissionable links; for more information, see my full disclosure statement {here})
The Theme: Wine Tasting Meets Grazing Table
We built our evening around a “Sips & Dips” theme with a blind wine tasting paired with an overflowing charcuterie board. We kept it casual and easy by sending digital invites using {this editable template} that I found on Etsy:
You can change the colors and wording to fit your gathering and download it in your preferred format. I used the animated digital invite that’s sized for viewing on a phone since I sent our invites by text, but there’s also a printable version if that’s your preference. You can check out tons of other options for editable invites {here}.
For the blind wine tasting, we chose a selection of wines ahead of time and slipped each bottle into one of {these wine bags} to hide the label:
Jeff took care of the wine selections, choosing pairs of chardonnay, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon. One bottle in each pair was a pricier, highly rated wine while the other bottle was the best-reviewed budget-friendly bottle (under $10) he could find.
As part of the wine tasting, I personalized {this editable wine tasting scorecard} and printed a copy for each guest:
Points were given for correctly guessing the type of wine, one note or aroma mentioned in the description of the wine, and which bottle in each pair was the higher-end one. At the end of the night, we tallied the scores and gave {this wine tote bag} as a prize to the guest with the most points:
It’s perfect for summer gatherings on the go with a cooler compartment for a wine bottle plus holders for a stopper, corkscrew, pair of glasses, and napkins:
The wine tasting was such an easy, interactive way to structure the party and added a fun layer of competition.
To accompany the wine, we had a large charcuterie board that took center stage:
It was loaded with meats, cheeses, crackers, dips, fruit, and more:
Party Planning
After figuring out which wines we were using for our blind taste testing, Jeff ordered everything online from our local Total Wine store so it was all paid for and ready to go when he arrived for pickup. They also often have online promo codes for free delivery when you spend a certain amount. These are the specific wines Jeff chose:
Chardonnays:
- Bishop Pine Chardonnay California, 2023 (budget-friendly)
- Cakebread Chardonnay Reserve, 2019 (high-end)
Pinot noirs:
- Angeline Pinot Noir California (budget-friendly)
- Boars’ View by Shrader Pinot Noir “The Coast” (high-end)
Cabernets:
- Prototype Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 (budget-friendly)
- Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, 2020 (high-end)
I took charge of the charcuterie board and other food. I was initially planning to put the charcuterie board together myself but decided to keep things easy and order a platter from a local charcuterie shop called Host & Graze. They do everything from small orders to huge grazing tables like this one:
Ordering the charcuterie board really helped cut down on the party prep and make it a stress-free party. But if you’d prefer to put your own charcuterie board together, I highly recommend {these cheese board cards} that give you ideas of what to place on your board and how to lay it out. They have tons of everyday ideas in addition to creative holiday and seasonal board ideas:
I also decided on some appetizers and desserts to serve along with the charcuterie board. I went with meatless options for appetizers since we had several pescatarians in our group, choosing stuffed mushrooms, mini crab cakes, and cocktail shrimp. For dessert, I chose chocolate-covered strawberries, mini chocolate chip cookies, and assorted Bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes.
I made the stuffed mushrooms and bought the mini crab cakes, cocktail shrimp, chocolate-covered strawberries, & cookies from Fresh Market (you can order them ahead of time online for whatever day & time you want to pick up).
Partyware & Serving Essentials
Here’s the partyware and serving pieces that helped pull the party together…
1. {This large charcuterie board} that’s gorgeous and took center stage at the party (mine is the 36″ long maple option):
2. {These reusable wine glass charms} were perfect for placing on our wine glasses so guests wouldn’t mix them up. I added two tassels to each charm but skipped the wood tags (which you can label with your guests’ names if you’d like):
3. {This set of charcuterie accessories} that’s such a great deal! It includes various spreaders, cheese knives, forks,
and mini tongs that I placed around the charcuterie board. I also put a bunch of {these wooden ball food picks} out:
4. {These palm leaf plates} that are a major upgrade from your typical disposable plates (and they’re biodegradable too)! And {these cloth napkins} that I have in a variety of patterns:
5. {This woven beverage tub} for chilling drinks. It has a white metal insert that can be lifted in and out of the woven surround for easy cleaning:
6. Glasses and {this pitcher} that I kept filled with water throughout the evening.
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7. {These Flexi Freeze reusable ice sheets} that are must-haves for keeping food chilled throughout a party. After cutting an ice sheet down to size, I placed it under the serving platter holding cocktail shrimp. They’re great to have on hand for a variety of uses.
8. {These wine bottle bags} that we used to cover the wine bottles for our blind taste testing.
It ended up being such a fun night and was an easy party to host – proof that entertaining doesn’t have to be complicated! Want more inspiration for hosting your own gathering? These are a few other charcuterie party ideas below that are sure to be a hit…
More Charcuterie Party Ideas
Build-Your-Own Charcuterie Board Station: Set out all the fixings buffet-style and let guests create their own mini boards. You can even add a little competition by giving prizes to the best-looking creations.
Charcuterie & Cocktails Night: Pair a signature drink (mocktails would work too!) with smaller grazing boards (think mini boards for each guest or couple). You could even theme the drinks to the season (like sangria in summer or spiced cider in fall).
Seasonal Charcuterie Party: Add seasonal touches depending on the time of year, like heart-shaped brie and chocolate-covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day or a Christmas tree shaped charcuterie board with rosemary sprigs, cranberry chutney, and star-shaped cheeses for the holidays.
Brunch Charcuterie Board Party: Swap meats and cheeses for waffles, mini bagels, muffins, cream cheese spreads, and fresh fruit. Add a mimosa or Bloody Mary bar if you want to take it up a notch.
And with that… I’m off to enjoy what’s left of the weekend! Sending Happy Father’s Day wishes to all the amazing dads, father figures, and those celebrating the special dads in their lives today!
