Looking to showcase your creative prowess and build the best cheese board, paired with the perfect bubbly? Look no further than this guide.

Belle English, the test kitchen cook and perfect cheese board savant at Williams Sonoma, provides a step-by-step guide on creating a spectacular presentation.

1. Have a robust mix of goat, blue, aged, soft, and hard cheeses. Ideally, you can fit all of those elements, and of course, some will pull double-duty, like an aged Gouda. Once you pick your cheese, pick out aboard. Belle says, “I love a big round board. It feels more abundant when it’s round.”

2. Start Wisely, With Star Elements. “Look at it from an artist’s perspective.” Stars with your statement piece – a lovely jar of jam, or local honey – and arrange things around them.

3. Don’t Slice Too Much. “Often people cut cheeseboard elements too much,” says Belle. “Make it more organic. Rip the bread. Crumble the blue cheese. Cut just one slice out of the wheel. It makes it more of an experience.” Learn how to cut cheese like a pro with Roth.

4. Sweet With Pungent; Nutty With Bright. Put that pungent Gorgonzola next to a tiny vat of honey and a clutch of walnuts. They balance one another out. 

5. Consider 3 Meats, Because Why Not? “Classic and mild (prosciutto di Parma), spicy like Calabrese, and super-fragrant or herbaceous, with fennel or herbs, like finnochiona [salami variety]. For vegans and vegetarians, add Marcona almonds and pistachios! Check out a how to on creating salami roses here!

6. Plan Your Wine Pairing. We love pairing sparkling wines, white wines, and rosé with a charcuterie board. If you are leaning towards a sparkling wine or champagne, consider a blanc de blancs, crémant, or rosé champagne. The bubbles act as a scrubber for your palate and sparkling wine is the most versatile food pairing wine. If you are considering a still wine, we love a French rosé, typically lighter bodied with mineralogy that cuts through the weights of meats and cheeses.

Check out our entertain page for more fun hosting tips, tricks & ideas! Use code (LGCPROMO). for 15% off your first bottle from us! 

Whether it’s date night at home, NYE, or a girl’s night binge-watching your favorite show, a fun way to celebrate and elevate is to create a champagne* charcuterie board with delectable morsels that pair well with sparkling wine, prosecco, cava, and of course champagne* (aka champers, bubbly, fizz).  A champagne* grazing board is also great for adult birthday parties, bridal showers, and watching award shows.

Champagne* and sparkling wine are really one of the most versatile wines for food as it contains high levels of acidity and a small amount of sugar. The two extremes complement elements in almost any food, from tame poached salmon to red-hot Thai food. Often referred to as the scrubbing bubbles for your palate as it cleanses the tongue and balance

Spritzy bubbles refresh the palate that acts as a cleanser (aka the scrubbing bubbles for the palate), getting you ready for the next burst of flavor. Bubbles work particularly well with fried and spicy foods, helping to cut through the fat and tame heat.

Champagne* or sparkling wine has racy acidity, and that trait is very food friendly as it is balanced by fat, salt, and sweet flavors. The acid in bubbly balances out salty foods well, making it a classic pairing for oysters and any sort of snacky foods like salted nuts, french fries, and popcorn.

For a memorable New Year’s Eve party, here are some Champagne* and sparkling wine cocktails and food pairing ideas to help ring in the celebration:

Champagne* Cocktails:

• Classic Champagne* Cocktail: Sugar cube soaked in bitters at the bottom of a flute, topped with Champagne*. Garnish with a lemon twist.
• Bellini: Peach purée topped with Champagne*. You can also try variations using other fruit purées like strawberry or mango.
• French 75: Gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup topped with Champagne*. Serve in a flute with a lemon twist.
• Elderflower Sparkler: Elderflower liqueur mixed with Champagne* and a splash of soda water. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or a slice of cucumber.
• Pomegranate Champagne* Punch: Pomegranate juice, orange liqueur, and Champagne*. Add pomegranate seeds and orange slices for a festive look.

NYE Food Ideas

• Appetizers and Finger Foods:
  • Miniature versions of classic appetizers like mini quiches, stuffed mushrooms, or cocktail meatballs.
  • Smoked salmon or tuna tartare on cucumber slices or crispy crackers.
  • Crostini with various toppings like goat cheese and fig jam, prosciutto and melon, or roasted vegetables.
  • Seafood Platter: Oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail, and smoked salmon served with various dipping sauces.
  • Fondue: Set up a cheese or chocolate fondue station with an array of dippables like bread, fruits, vegetables, and marshmallows for dipping. We love these cheesy resources for fondue! 23 Next-Level Fondue Recipes & Fondue Recipes for Dinner Parties
  • Sliders and Mini Sandwiches: Serve bite-sized sandwiches with different fillings such as roast beef with horseradish, pulled pork, or vegetarian options like grilled veggies with hummus.

• Desserts:
  • Champagne*-infused desserts like Champagne* cupcakes, Champagne* truffles, or Champagne* sorbet.
  • Decadent chocolate fondue with assorted treats for dipping like strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzels.

EXPERT IDEA: Gourmet Cheese and Charcuterie Platter: Include an assortment of cheeses, cured meats, nuts, fruits, and spreads. Refer to the previous suggestions for a stunning charcuterie board.

We suggest considering some decadent items on your Champagne* Charcuterie Board and make sure it is laden with some exceptional items, from the chicken and veal pâté, prosciutto di Parma to the creamy goat cheese the warm chestnut infused honey – or savory cheese fondue for some real French-flare.

What You’ll Need To Make a Champagne* Charcuterie Grazing Board

Pâté. Prosciutto. Soppressata. Genoa Salame. These meats are perfect for pairing with various kinds of cheese and work well with extra-dry bubbly the sweeter sparkling wine styles like Demi-Sec and Doux.

Soft. Semi-Soft. Semi-Hard. Hard Cheeses. When it comes to cheeses, you have so many options. Again, select the cheeses with the flavor profiles you enjoy as you can’t go wrong.

Fruit & Honey. Any good grazing or charcuterie board worth its salt will have a fair share of fruit and at least one variety of honey and some honeycomb.

Even though fruits pair well with cheeses, they also act to cleanse the palate. 

Honey also brings out the different characteristics of cheese. Typically, light honey is paired with light cheeses, and intensely flavored honey like chestnut honey or buckwheat honey is generally paired with robust or intensely flavored cheeses like sharp and tangy cheddar cheeses, Comté, Gruyère, or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Fondue – it doesn’t get more French (or fun) than a hot and delish cheesy, savory fondue.   Here are some fabulous recipes to consider

23 Next-Level Fondue Recipes

Fondue Recipes for Dinner Parties

Remember to cater to different dietary preferences and allergies if known among your guests. These ideas offer a mix of flavors and textures to elevate your New Year’s Eve party and ensure a memorable celebration!

If you are considering what to buy and don’t want to spend a fortune, or want a one-stop shop,  here is a good reference for Trader Joe’s from The Baker Mama.

How to know what sort of sparkling wine or champagne* to serve?

Like any wine, Champagnes* range from sweet to dry. Here are the labels to look for:

• Demi-sec – The sweetest of Champagnes*, but not as sweet as a dessert wine. It means “half sweet.”
• Dry – A shade drier than demi-sec.
• Extra dry – One-step drier.
• Brut – The driest form, and the most typical/popular.

Some styles

• Blanc de Blancs is made only with white grapes. It generally goes well with lighter foods, such as seafood and vegetables. Also good as a pre-dinner aperitif.
• Blanc de Noirs, made solely from red Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, with a deeper golden color than the Blanc de Blancs. It makes a great pairing with full-flavored or rich foods.
• Rosé. The color comes from the addition of Pinot Noir wine at the second fermentation, the point at which still wine becomes Champagne*. This type is one of the best to have with dinner, according to Ed McCarthy, author of Champagne* for Dummies.

Add a little luxury to your next occasion and always embody that champagne* state of mind!

Learn more entertaining hacks here!

There is more than one proposal when it comes to weddings. How will you POP the question to your best friends to stand beside you on your big day? We love the trend of bridesmaid proposal boxes, special, thoughtful, and especially because they are so easily customizable.

Bridesmaid & Bridal Party Proposals

Share some *sparkle* and spread a little JOY to get the party started as you kick off the season of wedding planning. Celebrate not only the wedding festivities but your beloved friend as well.  Include a ‘mini” 187ml bottle of French bubbly as the perfect addition to any themed gift assortment. It is truly the icing on the cake of a beautiful arrangement tailored to the recipient’s personality and/or the wedding colors or theme! 

Created to inspire joy in everyday moments and celebrate relationships. We are often referred to as the ultimate elegant, meaningful detail for all bridal celebrations from the bridal party proposals and bridal showers. To the bachelorette party & elegant wedding reception favor.

The Perfect Meaningful Detail

Our romantic French wines translate to “The Great Courtship”. Making them the perfect meaningful detail for celebrations of love and friendship! For a chic way to celebrate at wedding festivities from bridesmaid proposals to the reception. We suggest gifting/serving our Courtâge Cuties – a fun single-serving indulgence for you and those you love! Our 187ml ‘mini champagne’ bottles come in both classic brut and brut rosé. They are always a crowd pleaser (and ideal for party favors). Both award-winning varieties score  90+ points and are affordably priced. So you can serve or gift quality wines to elevate your wedding events to add a touch of elegance to any budget. 

Nothing elevates a party like the POP of a cork, and there are several ways to incorporate romantic (yet affordable and simple) French wines into your wedding planning season and make for Instagram-worthy events and photos.

Our curated Bride Guide & Look Book for an elegant, elevated engagement & wedding day is available for FREE Downloadable Guide HERE.    

 

Pamper yourself and elevate self care with these luxurious DIY spa treatments you can make at home – using leftover rosé wine!

Whether you’re winding down, celebrating a bachelorette party,  or hosting a girl’s night in you can rosé the night away or throw an elegant rosé spa soirée with ingredients you probably already have at home.

Rosé Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup Très Chic Rosé
• 1 Tbsp agave or honey

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients. Add more sugar if needed for a thicker consistency. Can be stored in an airtight container for no more than a week. To Use: apply to dry skin, this will ensure the product does not rinse off right away and rub with a hand. Rinse with warm water, and apply moisturizer after. Your skin will feel silky smooth.

Rosé Foot Soak

Ingredients:

• Warm Water
• 1 cup Epsom salts
• 1 cup Très Chic Rosé
• Rose petals (optional)

Preparation:

Take a small bucket filled with warm water and soak your feet in it. Ensure that your feet are soaked in water to your ankles. Add Epsom salts and rosé to the warm water. Try and relax and let your feet muscles relax too. To Use: Submerge feet and let soak for at least 20 minutes. Once finished, dry and moisturize.

Rosé Facial Mask

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Très Chic Rosé
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp plain yogurt

Preparation:

Clean your skin thoroughly with a mild face wash twice. Mix all facial ingredients together until smooth. To Use: Apply the mixture to the face and leave for 10 minutes. To remove, splash warm water on your face and use circular hand movement until your face is clear. For the best results, repeat the wine facial once per week.

Luxurious Rosé Bath

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Très Chic Rosé
• 1 cup honey
• Warm bath water
• Rose petals (optional)

Preparation:

Fill the bathtub with warm water. Pour rosé wine and honey into warm bath water. To Use: Soak for at least 20 minutes. Rinse, and pat dry.

Our Très Chic Rosé scores 90+ points – so you can be sure you’re serving up quality at your spa night for mixing or sipping! Luxury meets affordability with this inclusive vegan-friendly, gluten-free,  low calorie, low carb, and cuisine and cocktail-friendly wine, so every adult can enjoy and all you have to do is simply chill & enjoy.

Rosé is the all-star pairing wine – making food pairings pretty much foolproof. They are especially great for hostesses everywhere because of their versatile pairing ability. Truly amazing breakfast through dessert. Perfect as a hostess gift, party favors, and ideal for bubbly cocktail mixing. Rosé is great as well as it’s “in-between” red and white. Food friendly and versatile, it’s light enough for the white wine drinker and has a softer profile. For the red wine drinker, it has more structure than white. And pink wine is just so beautiful on a tablescape, oui?

Rosé and Rosé sparkling wine also make for fabulous and flirty wine cocktails! Browse our favorite rosé and sparkling free cocktail recipe e-books here to mix up something FUN!

We believe in embracing the French spirit of joie de vivre, or “joy of life”, where elevating and celebrating the everyday moments is our way of romanticizing the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Won’t you join us in our mission to #livejoyously? 

 

DIY Champagne Spa Treatment Recipes. Pamper yourself and elevate self-care with these refreshing spa treatments you can make at home – using affordable and luxurious French sparkling wines! Sparkling wines contain resveratrol & tartaric acid both being powerful antioxidants that will help combat environmental damage. They also have calming astringent properties.

Whether you’re winding down, celebrating a bachelorette party,  or hosting a girl’s night you can fizz the night away or throw an elegant spa soirée with ingredients you probably already have at home.

Mimosa Bath Soak

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Le Grand Courâge Blanc de Blancs Brut
• 1 cup water
• 6 drops of sweet orange essential oil

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and swirl around to mix. Fill the tub and add the entire mixture. To Use: Soak for at least 15-20 minutes.

Mimosa Body Scrub

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut
• 6 drops sweet orange oil

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients. Add more sugar if needed for a thicker consistency. Can be stored in an airtight container for no more than a week. To Use: apply to dry skin, this will insure the product does not rinse off right away and rub with a hand. Rinse with warm water, and apply moisturizer after. Your skin will feel silky smooth. Use before Mimosa Bath Soak for maximum results.

Sweet Champagne Facial Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Le Grand Courtâge Blanc de Blancs Brut
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation:
Mix well and apply to the face. For a thinner consistency add more brut. To Use: Leave on for 5-10 min remove with a warm towel, tone, and moisturize.

Sparkling Rosé Toner

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rosé
• ½ cup rose water

Preparation:
Combine in a glass spray bottle, swirl to mix-do not shake. Good for about a week-do not use the mixture for longer than a week. To Use: After cleansing. Spray onto cotton round; apply to face. Follow with moisturizer or night cream.

Our Le Grand Courtage sparkling and Très Chic Rosé wines each score 90+ points – so you can be sure you’re serving up quality at your spa night for mixing or sipping! Luxury meets affordability with this inclusive vegan-friendly, gluten-free,  low calorie, low carb, and cuisine and cocktail-friendly wine, so every adult can enjoy and all you have to do is simply chill & enjoy.

Rosé, sparkling Rosé, and sparkling wine or Champagne are the all-star pairing wines – making food pairings pretty much foolproof. They are especially great for hostesses everywhere because of their versatile pairing ability. Truly amazing breakfast through dessert. Perfect as a hostess gift, party favors, and ideal for bubbly cocktail mixing. Rosé is great as well as its “in-between” red and white. Food friendly and versatile, it’s light enough for the white wine drinker and has a softer profile. For the red wine drinker, it has more structure than white. And pink wine is just beautiful on a tablescape, oui?

Sparkling wines also make for fabulous and flirty wine cocktails! Browse our favorite rosé and sparkling free cocktail recipe e-books here to mix up something FUN!

We believe in embracing the French spirit of joie de vivre, or “joy of life”, where elevating and celebrating the everyday moments is our way of romanticizing the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Won’t you join us in our mission to #livejoyously? 

 

Chanel Dror of Camille Styles and Eric Tarlo’s Wedding at a Château in the Loire Valley

Post dinner, everyone moved into the orangery—where a dessert and cheese spread was waiting—for the reception. “In lieu of a wedding cake, we kicked things off with a tower of Le Grand Courtâge Brut Rosé, with Sam Feldt’s ‘Show Me Love’ playing on blast,” says Chanel. Read more.

Our Mini Wine bottles are perfect for every Wedding occasion!

For a chic way to celebrate at a bachelorette party or wedding, we suggest serving our Mini Wine bottles or as we like to call them our Courtâge Cuties! They are the perfect single serving indulgence for you and those you love!

Pre Game Necessity

Each adorable 187 ml mini wine bottle is the perfect size of sparkling wine for you and your guests to enjoy in the suite while getting ready, in the limo on the way to the party, or anywhere your festive plans may take you! Light and easy to carry, our mini bottles of Blanc de Blancs Brut and Brut Rosé to add a dash of glamour to your fete.

Use code (LGCPROMO) for 15% your first purchase of Sparkling Wines from us.

Smudge Proof Drinking

Serve in a glass or with straws that match your color scheme. Colored paper straws are a nice addition to your theme, and also prevent make-up and wardrobe faux pas. Fabulous!

Wedding Favors

Indulge guests further with personalized name cards to show them how special they are to you! Or, personalize each bottle with your name and that of your partner, as well as the date of your wedding for a memorable wedding favor that will make everyone “Cheer!” See an example that a bride did for her guests on our instagram here.

Speaking of the morning of your wedding day and getting ready with your best girls… you can’t forget the mimosas to properly toast to your wedding day! Champagne from Le Grand Courtage (I always love rosé!) or white wine from Speak Wines are two favorites: not only are their labels and packaging both beautiful and occasion-appropriate, but most any bridesmaid would love to be gifted a bottle or mini-bottle of champagne or wine. And with mimosas, you can’t forget the toasting flutes! Naturally, Chic Gifts, based out of Raleigh, creates personalized champagne flutes (I’m a fan of the stemless ones!) and wine glasses in an array of metallic colors for your best girls.

Read More