Once you start dabbling in wine and cheese pairings you naturally want to have a wine and cheese party. (Or if cheese is your first love-- a cheese and wine party.) Unless you make your own wine and cheese, it's one of the easiestHere are some tips on what and how much to serve, how to serve it, plus a whole chart on what pairs with what, including fruit. You would think we could serve just wine and cheese at a wine and cheese party, but not so. Adding a few trimmings to your arrangement, fruit, bread and nuts, fine-tunes the menu. The result is a treasure trove of taste sensations. Cheese and Wine Serve 3 to 5 cheeses depending on the number of guests, with a variety of tastes, texturesBuy the best cheese you can afford, too; cheese off the rack, and absolutely no processed cheese is allowed. Purchase the cheese no more than a day ahead, for freshness. Quantity: 2 ounces of each cheese per guest. Choose a wine to complement each cheese selection, or vice

It doesn't matter whether you start with the wine or the cheese. Quantity: 1 bottle per guest, total, to be on the safe side. guests consume between one half and one whole bottle of wine during an Always serve water, as well. Fruit Fruit is a natural with wine andFresh fruit is easy. Serve whatever you can (such as plums and berries) whole, grapes in small bunches, and the rest sliced as needed. Dried fruit is another delicious option, already prepared. Or try a fruit salsa or compote. Quantity: about 3 ounces per person, prepared. Bread Bread is a must because it serves as a palate cleanser and a base for any spreadable cheeses. crackers work well, as does a sliced 3" baguette. like as long as what you like does not overpower the other foods in any Quantity: 1 pound per 12 people. Salted, candied or spiced nuts and seeds, and the like, serve as the counterpoint for the rest of the menu. There are several sweet and spicy nut recipes on site, or you can purchase prepared nuts, nut brittle, spiced pumpkin seeds, edamame, etc.

Quantity: 2 or 3 ounces per person. Arrange the cheeses from mildest to wildest. Identify each type of cheese and its accompanying wine on a place card beside each grouping.Not enough cheese boards? Large tiles, marble, and good ol' plates and platters work just as well. Cheese should be served at room temperature for best flavor. An hour out of the fridge should do it. Above all, each cheese must have its own knife or spreader or who knows what flavors you'll end up with. In a nutshell, sweet, fruity white or red wines complement most however, call for bold wines and very sweet dessert wines. You'll find that Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir pair well withChampagne and Beaujolais are on the short list, too. For specifics look over the Pairings Chart for a Wine and Cheese Party. Return to Gourmet Party Food Ideas"Bring the Wine"More Wine and Cheese Party TipsBack to Yak for more theme party ideasIt sounds more like a mini-break than your typical supermarket shop.

But more and more shoppers are hopping across the Channel to stock up on wine and other drinks – because the savings have never been greater. A powerful combination of rising liquor duties here and a weakening euro there have ushered in the “new age of the booze cruise”. Data from currency exchange firm Caxton FX shows a 14pc rise in British buyers shopping at the French supermarket, Carrefour, compared with the same time last year. Now 56pc more Britons are shopping at the chain, which is the biggest in France, than they were in 2013. best friends and wine quotesOverall transactions in France increased by more than 17,000 to 87,000 in the past year, the broker said. buy wine for wedding ukOne of many couples to enjoy regular trips – and then the purchases themselves – are Chantal and Laurence Croneen (pictured above). names of wines for wedding tables

“It’s a money-saving exercise,” said Mrs Croneen, 53, who lives in Fulham, west London, with her husband and teenage daughter. “It’s an outing too – sometimes I go with a girlfriend and we go to the shops – but really we’re nipping over to buy much cheaper wine.” Majestic Wines, which operates two branches in France, said it has seen an uptick in sales already this year, citing the falling euro. Another major supplier, Calais Wine Superstore, said they had seen a surge in customers ahead of the wedding and summer party season. best wine 2005Brides and grooms typically spend £1,000 in the shop. best wine kits in canadaCraig Nelson from Calais Wine Superstore, said: “We have 10 wedding orders a day. wine and food show londonOn some premium wines you’re saving as much as £10 a bottle, just because of the tax and difference with the euro. top 100 wine competition

It’s completely different to buying in Britain.” Why is it cheaper? Tax on wine is an astonishing eight times higher in Britain than in France, and the gap has widened over the past few years. British shoppers pay £2.05 per bottle on alcohol taxes alone (before VAT is added) compared with just 23p in France. Since 2007, the alcohol tax or “excise duty” on a bottle of wine has increased by 72p in Britain and 2p in France. Both British and French shoppers will pay VAT on top of this at similar levels. wine and food dcThis is now 20pc in the UK, up from 17.5pc after the 2010 Budget, and in France increased from 19.6pc to 20pc in 2014. best small towns in wine countryNo import tax is due, providing the alcohol is for personal use, which includes large purchases for weddings, events and parties. HMRC says “you’re more likely to be asked questions” if you take in more than 90 litres (120 bottles) but that there are no limits as long as you don’t intend to sell the wine.

The Croneens say their Channel-hopping saves £200 a year, adding that the exchange rate has made a “hell of a difference” to their savings. It’s £11 cheaper to buy a €100 case of wine now than in April last year, thanks to the euro’s decline. You would pay £71 now compared to £82 in April 2014. Two years ago, in April 2013, a British shopper would have paid £86, before bank or other exchange fees. Take buying 10 cases of red and sparkling wine. That’s 120 bottles – enough to stock a few parties and the odd evening in. Buying five cases of Prosecco Rivamonte and five cases of Baron Phillippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet, which are both available in France and Britain, would save £228.80 by buying in France. The Croneens make the trip a few times a year. “Last year before Christmas we spent €1,000 (£715) on 10 cases of bordeaux and champagne, about five of each.” Mrs Croneen said: “We normally hunt out a decent bordeaux that would be £8 in England and about £5 to £6 across the Channel.

We’re saving so much, that it’s definitely worth it.” Wine shopping: Britain vs France British price per bottle French price per bottle Saving by buying in France Marlborough Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Calvet Sancerre Vintage 2011 Baron Phillippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet Silver Ghost Sauvignon Blanc Source: Majestic Wines, Pidou Liquor Store, Carrefour, Tesco Budget changes to wine duty British bottle of wine French bottle of wineExcludes VAT How to get there – and where to go British-owned shops on the French border will even pay for your travel and let you pay in sterling. Pre-order £300 at Calais Wine, and the shop books and pays for your Eurotunnel. If you’re buying less than this, it is usually better to pay yourself and go to a French off-licence or supermarket. Mrs Croneen pays for the Eurostar (return fares from £69) and shops at Carrefour, as well as The Wine Society, a British-owned warehouse that costs £20 to join.

“French supermarkets are much bigger and more exciting,” she said. “You get to every aisle and you’re completely mesmerised – it’s kind of an adventure.” She added: “Cheaper cheese and foie gras are an added bonus. Obviously these have a shorter shelf-life, but the choice and freshness is on a different planet.” Petrol money is an added cost, the Croneens said. On the 140-mile round trip to Dover, a typical average car using 35 miles per gallon would cost less than £20. There may also be cheaper deals to be had further afield. For several more hours’ driving, shoppers pay little or no duty on wine in Germany (zero excise and 19pc VAT). Wine tax is also cheaper in Spain (zero excise and 21pc VAT), Italy (zero excise and 22pc VAT) and Portugal (zero excise and 13pc VAT). The euro countries to avoid include Ireland, where the excise is double that in Britain on a bottle of wine with 15pc alcohol or more, and Finland, which has similar excise rates to Britain and a hefty 24pc VAT.

Pound strengthens against the euro – year to date Source: European Central Bank What next for prices? Wine drinkers were given a small reprieve in this year’s Budget when Chancellor George Osborne froze duty for the first time in more than a decade. But the concessions for alcoholic drinks – which also took one penny from the price of a pint – followed years of price increases. Wine duty has increased by 54pc since 2008, and was excluded from the 2pc price cut awarded to other alcoholic drinks in the 2015 Budget, according to industry body, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. And wine taxes could top up under the next government – whatever form it may take. Labour, for example, has already pledged to take “targeted action” against any “low-cost alcohol products that fuel problem drinking.” Ukip is the only party to openly oppose calls for minimum pricing for alcohol and has pledged to “save the pub” by offering tax breaks for British alcohol manufacturers. Miles Beale is head of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association and campaigns for lower taxes on alcohol at home.