24 Fabulous Appetizers for Wine Tasting

24 Fabulous Appetizers for Wine Tasting

Although wine and cheese are a pure match, wine social gathering fare needn’t be relegated to cheese boards alone. This choice of small bites options recipes to intensify the number of wines you could be serving and tasting. From herb-roasted olives to artistic crostini, these are the hors d’oeuvres that may elevate your subsequent wine social gathering.

French Onion Baked Brie

Matt Taylor-Gross / Meals Styling by Amelia Rampe


With gooey cheese, savory caramelized onions, and the crunch of golden, buttery pastry, this decadent appetizer captures all of the deliciousness of that first spoonful of French onion soup. Smear the tacky snack on slices of toasted baguette.

Marinated Feta with Lemony Herb “Jam” Balls

Greg DuPree

These inexperienced herb jam balls are constituted of steamed chard and herbs studded with preserved lemon and currants, submerged in olive oil together with strips of lemon peel and cubed feta. Serve them with crackers or crostini for an instantaneous appetizer.

Purple Pepper Blini with Creamed Corn and Smoked Salmon

© Con Poulos

Chef Jonathan Waxman presents tender pink pepper pancakes with a candy corn sauce, decadent smoked salmon, and caviar for a novel riff on blini and caviar.

Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Rugelach

Picture by Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Rugelach are usually layered with candy, fruity jam, however the dough makes a surprisingly suitable residence for savory fillings. These are unfold with a thick do-it-yourself onion jam flavored with balsamic vinegar, sumac, and coriander. Serve them as an hors d’oeuvre with a glass of glowing wine.

Cheese Straws

Greg DuPree / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Shell Royster


Crisp, savory, and with a satisfying snap, cheese straws are a Southern staple, and these had been honed to perfection by the legendary culinary duo of Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. They ripen in taste and profit from being made forward.

Zucchini and Pepper Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

© James Merrell

Chef Daniel Humm makes use of pleasantly salty Sbrinz cheese to high his gratin made with a ratatouille-like mixture of sautéed zucchini strips, bell peppers, and tomato, however the recipe additionally works with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pair this with a crisp, full-bodied white corresponding to Swiss Chasselas or a northern Italian Pinot Bianco.

Gougères with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Prosciutto

Picture by Fred Hardy II / Meals Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman

These tacky puffs look fancy, however come collectively in minutes to make any snack really feel like an event. We topped ours with slivers of prosciutto and smoked salmon and dollops of caviar and crème fraîche, however any toppings will do. Or, merely eat them plain — they shine on their very own. 

Garlic-Butter Steak Bites

Picture by Greg DuPree / Meals Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford

These fast stir-fried beef bites are a simple approach to obtain all the posh of a steakhouse-caliber steak at residence. The buttery, velvety sauce coats every bit properly, and the vermouth’s natural richness pairs properly with the savory Worcestershire. Function an appetizer with toothpicks.

Mushroom Conserva

Picture by Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

Marinated in a mix of Champagne vinegar, olive oil, toasted fennel seeds, garlic, and thyme, these tender mushrooms are a profitable appetizer ready to occur. Spoon them over ricotta-topped toast or gooey baked Brie, or add them to a cheese board with loads of crusty bread.

Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip

Greg DuPree

For her Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip, 2018 F&W Greatest New Chef Katianna Hong retains it easy, pairing just-picked greens with a thick, tangy soy dip. It is a really perfect approach to exhibit no matter recent greens you may get your arms on.

Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp in Garlic Sauce)

Diana Chistruga


For this fast and straightforward Spanish tapa, shrimp is sautéed in garlicky, spicy olive oil after which tossed with dry sherry, lemon juice, and a handful of parsley. Serve it with crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Roasted Tomato Pissaladière

Christopher Testani / Meals Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver


Made easy with a base of store-bought puff pastry, this pissaladière consists of roasted canned tomatoes together with the same old anchovies, olives, and caramelized onion. Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano rounds all of it out.

Popcorn with Sesame-Glazed Pistachios

© John Kernick

Mixing popcorn with glazed pistachios creates a sweet-salty snack that is equally improbable with cocktails, beer, or wine.

Fritto Misto with Calabrian Chile Aïoli

Jose Mandojana / Meals Styling by Robyn Valarik / Prop Styling by Christine Wolheim

Shrimp, calamari, anchovy-stuffed olives, and paper-thin lemon slices are dredged in a Pernod-spiked batter and fried to crispy, golden perfection. Jarred Calabrian chiles add a fruity warmth to the creamy aïoli dipping sauce. 

Two-Chew Parmesan Biscuits

Caitlin Bensel

These biscuits are baked on a mattress of grated Parmesan cheese, leading to a crispy, tacky crust across the backside of every biscuit. Good on their very own, strive them drizzled with a little bit of honey, or improvise by tossing just a few handfuls of recent thyme or chives into the dough to take them excessive. 

Prosciutto, Tomato, and Olive Bruschetta

© Maura McEvoy

Salty and savory appetizers, like this prosciutto and bruschetta mixture, pair properly with a wide range of wines and cocktails, making your gathering a flavorful and provoking night.

Herb-Roasted Olives

© Edward Pond

These herb-roasted olives are a chic, easy hors d’oeuvre that is simple to organize and even simpler to snack on. Serve them heat or at room temperature.

Rosemary, Almond, and Parmesan Cocktail Cookies

© Quentin Bacon

To deliver out the flavour of the rosemary in these barely candy cookies, professional baker Dorie Greenspan first rubs the leaves with granulated sugar — a method she discovered from famend French pastry chef Pierre Hermé.

Fig Bars with Purple Wine and Anise Seeds

© Andrew Purcell

This scrumptious do-it-yourself grown-up model of Fig Newtons requires including pink wine and anise seeds to the jammy fig filling. The crust will get much more tender the day after baking.

Pimiento Cheese with Salt-and-Pepper Butter Crackers

© CON POULOS

Chef Carla Corridor makes her personal crunchy crackers to serve with this cheese unfold, her tackle a Southern basic.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Abby Hocking

An ideal cocktail social gathering snack, bacon-wrapped dates are chewy, crispy, candy, savory, and smoky suddenly. Plump and tender Medjool dates are filled with a combination of blue cheese and cream cheese, and a toasted walnut stands in for the pit.

Black Olive Tapenade with Figs and Mint

© David Malosh

What makes Jacques Pépin’s tapenade particular is the intelligent mixture of oil- and brine-cured olives and the shock of candy, recent, and tangy notes from the dried figs, mint, and capers.

Lemon Curd Toasts with Coconut

© John Kernick

Olive oil and cocoa butter make this lemony curd terribly creamy and luscious. Unfold on baguette toasts, it doubles as a improbable dessert.

Wine Bar Nut Combine

© Tina Rupp

This improbable sweet-savory mixture of pecans, almonds, and walnuts from The Informal Winery Desk, by Carolyn Wente and Kimball Jones, makes an incredible reward or social gathering snack.

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