Still, Martha has a point. Cheese is, as she would put it, a very "good thing" - and we can savor many of the wonderful flavors of Mediterranean cheeses, without re-mortgaging the house. Here are some suggestions (drawn from my time spent working in the wine trade) for a Mediterranean wine and cheese party - a great way to spend a cool fall evening with friends.
THEMES AND DECORATIONS
First, decide on a theme. Do you want to stick with the wines and cheeses of one country, or would you rather experiment with products from a variety of places? France and Italy are easy to plan and purchase for. Spain and Greece are slightly more difficult, because there are fewer cheeses from these countries available outside Europe. Still, by doing a little research and some selective shopping, you should be able to find a wide variety of European and European-style cheeses. If you live in a rural area and can't find what you want, there are some good mail-order sources for European foods - check the advertising pages of Gourmet or Bon Appetit magazines for some ideas.
For some good information on cheeses, check out some of these sites:
Cheesenet's World Cheese Index at http://www.wgx.com/cheesenet/wci/ - this is a fascinating, detailed site, and I had a hard time getting away from it to work on my writing!
Cucina Online's Cheese Page at http://www.cucina.italynet.com/formaggi/default1.htm
The cheese page at the Wines and Food from France web site:
