| A popular gift during the holiday season or at | | | | some delicate red wines. Red and white wine work |
| exclusive events is the wine and cheese basket. The | | | | well with goat's milk cheese. Camembert, Brie and |
| combination is as old as time, and wins hearts and | | | | other such ripening soft cheeses thrive with fine |
| favors with ease. It indicates a sophisticated palate | | | | white wines or fruity reds. Soft and semi-hard |
| and a superior appreciation for the good things of life. | | | | cheeses blend well with champagne or sweet sherry. |
| Selecting the right wine and cheese is as much a | | | | Washed rind cheese integrates best with that |
| matter of personal preference as of the area from | | | | region's red wines or stronger whites, while lush |
| which they are produced. Usually, the amalgam from | | | | semi-aged ones resonate with rosé or local |
| a particular location works best and saves you much | | | | wines. Cheeses like Parmesan, Cheddar or other hard, |
| time and trouble while giving. However, when it | | | | aged cheeses brilliantly highlight red wines, sweet |
| comes to experimenting with the two, there are | | | | dessert wines and port. Blue cheeses favor vintage |
| myriad styles to adventure with. | | | | port, as well as strong reds and some whites. |
| Made with as much care and artistry as wine, cheese | | | | Budgetary, seasonal and personal preferences can |
| is a product of careful craft and ingenuity. Prepared | | | | lead you to the right choice in cheese baskets. |
| from cow, sheep, goat or yak's milk, cheese can be | | | | Standard wine and cheese baskets combine spaces |
| fresh, poached, or hard; with a washed, flourished or | | | | for the two items, besides including wine glasses, light |
| natural rind, and melted or cured. Cheese can even | | | | crockery, napkins, a cutting board and a cheese knife. |
| be spiced up or enfolded in leaves for new aromas | | | | Special designer baskets include the perfect wine and |
| to sink in. Farm cheeses or industrial cheeses come in | | | | cheese combo, crackers and light snacks, exclusive |
| various flavors and blends that easily match the | | | | linen and wine accessories. |
| complexity and varieties of wine produced in the | | | | Everybody is entitled to some fun and relaxation. |
| world. It is the painstakingly produced cheese from | | | | Whether it's earthy, lively or velvety, savor the wine, |
| exclusive farms that are most popular (and | | | | nibble the cheese and pamper your taste buds. That's |
| expensive). | | | | the idea of a wine and cheese basket - that, and to |
| Red wine usually teams up with most cheeses. Fresh | | | | raise the pleasure element that much higher! |
| cream cheeses are heady with most white wines and | | | | |