It’s the first day of Fall, and I am ready to celebrate the fall flavors, colors and the cooler weather. Callie Wines asked me to share their wonderful wine with my viewers and readers and I couldn’t think of a better way to share it then to create an end of summer party to celebrate with friends and family.

This can be easy and fun and you don’t have to break the bank to have a End of Summer Party. Wine tastings are a great way to bring everyone together and open up your taste buds with some great food and wine pairings. And don’t forget to make that party special for each guest with their own tasting tray.

I love sharing wine with friends and trying a new wine can always be exciting. Callie Wines was new to me and I will say, I am very impressed with it, so much that I have made it my official wine for my upcoming charity event. One of the best things about Callie Wines is the screw top cork, this is the first wine I have ever had that has a resealable cork that you don’t have to shove down the neck of the bottle, it comes off easy and goes back on easy, and this is perfect for a girl like me that always forgets to grab the wine opener.

Here are a couple easy DIY tasting tray ideas along with some yummy wine pairings. Be sure to look for my All About Wine Pairings page, there is a lot of great pairing ideas on it.

Wine Tray

Items Needed
Wood board or tray
Americana chalkboard paint
Americana acrylic paint (your choice)
Sponge Brush
Chalk

This is a very easy craft, just paint the top of the board or the inside of the tray with the chalkboard paint, let it dry 10 – 20 minutes and paint another coat, paint at least 3 – 4 coats. After the chalkboard paint is completely dry, paint the rest of the board or tray with the acrylic paint of our choice. Let it completely dry and write the different wines and tastings on each board that you will be trying.

Wine Nacho

This is hands down my favorite wine pairing ever. It is best with a red wine, either a blend or Merlot, but really it is so good and would go with any red wine.

Items needed
Dark chocolate squares (I love the Godiva squares)
Blue Cheese
Honey (I love clover honey)

Place the chocolate square on the plate, place a slice of blue cheese on top of the chocolate and drizzle some honey on top. The best way to do the tasting is to taste the wine first, take a bite of the nacho and then taste the wine again. YUM

Wine Infused Strawberry

This is a fun and yummy treat that goes great with a white wine, either a Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay.

Items Needed
Whole strawberries
Wilton candy melts (white chocolate, any color)
Wilton melting pot
Wilton dessert infusers

If you don’t have the Wilton melting pot, you can melt the candy melts in the microwave. Drip the strawberry into the melted chocolate halfway and set on a plate to cool. Once the strawberry is cooled, fill the infuser with the wine and stick it into the strawberry. You can drink the wine from the infuser and then eat the strawberry or you can infuse it into the strawberry before eating it. YUM

Spicy Cracker

This is a great treat for any party and so easy to make. It goes great with a Chardonnay.

Items needed
1 Package of Oyster Crackers
1 package Dry Ranch Season Mix
¾ tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 cup canola oil
Gallon sized ziploc bag

Place crackers in a the ziploc bag. Mix the 3 other ingredients together and pour over the crackers. Gently toss every 15 minutes for about an hour to marinate the flavors, and then once again before serving.