Drinks Wine 20 Wine Party Starters to Serve By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 16, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman Though wine and cheese are a natural match, wine party fare needn't be relegated to cheese boards alone. This selection of small bites features recipes to accentuate the variety of wines you may be serving and tasting. From herb-roasted olives to creative crostini, these are the hors d'oeuvres that will elevate your next wine party. 01 of 20 Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Rugelach Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Rugelach are typically layered with jam and chopped nuts and topped with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, but the dough makes a surprisingly compatible home for savory fillings. These are spread with a thick homemade onion jam flavored with balsamic vinegar, sumac, and coriander. Serve them as an hors d'oeuvre with a glass of sparkling wine. Get the Recipe 02 of 20 Lemon Curd Toasts with Coconut © John Kernick Olive oil and cocoa butter make this lemony curd extraordinarily creamy and luscious. Spread on baguette toasts, it doubles as a fantastic dessert. Get the Recipe 03 of 20 Zucchini and Pepper Gratin with Herbs and Cheese © James Merrell Chef Daniel Humm uses pleasantly salty Sbrinz cheese to top his gratin made with a ratatouille-like mix of sautéed zucchini strips, bell peppers, and tomato. Parmigiano-Reggiano, another hard, aged cow's milk cheese, is a fine substitute. Pair this with a crisp, full-bodied white such as Swiss Chasselas or a northern Italian Pinot Bianco. Get the Recipe 04 of 20 Popcorn with Sesame-Glazed Pistachios © John Kernick Mixing popcorn with glazed pistachios creates a sweet-salty snack that's equally fantastic with cocktails, beer, or wine. Get the Recipe 05 of 20 Ricotta and Roasted Grape Crostini © Fredrika Stjärne Designer and blogger Athena Calderone’s signature aesthetic comes through in this striking appetizer. Roasting the grapes concentrates and deepens their sweetness. Get the Recipe 06 of 20 Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip Greg DuPree For her Crudités and Fermented Soybean Dip, 2018 F&W Best New Chef Katianna Hong keeps it simple, pairing just-picked vegetables with a thick, tangy soy dip. This dip is the perfect way to show off whatever fresh vegetables you can get your hands on. Get the Recipe 07 of 20 Rosemary, Almond, and Parmesan Cocktail Cookies © Quentin Bacon To bring out the flavor of the rosemary in these barely sweet cookies, expert baker Dorie Greenspan first rubs the leaves with granulated sugar — a technique she learned from renowned French pastry chef Pierre Hermé. Get the Recipe 08 of 20 Prosciutto, Tomato, and Olive Bruschetta © Maura McEvoy Salty and savory appetizers, like this prosciutto and bruschetta combination, pair well with a variety of wines and cocktails, making your gathering a flavorful and inspiring evening. Get the Recipe 09 of 20 Pimiento Cheese with Salt-and-Pepper Butter Crackers © CON POULOS Chef Carla Hall makes her own crunchy crackers to serve with this cheese spread, a riff on a Southern classic. Get the Recipe 10 of 20 Black Olive Tapenade with Figs and Mint © David Malosh What makes this tapenade special is the clever mix of oil- and brine-cured olives and the surprise of sweet, fresh, and tangy notes from the dried figs, mint, and capers. Get the Recipe 11 of 20 Garlic-Butter Steak Bites Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford These quickly stir-fried beef bites deliver all the savory luxury of a steakhouse-caliber steak, without the stress of cooking one at home. The buttery, velvety sauce coats every piece nicely, and the vermouth's herbal richness pairs nicely with the savory Worcestershire. Serve as an appetizer with toothpicks. Get the Recipe 12 of 20 Mushroom Conserva Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Marinated in a blend of Champagne vinegar, olive oil, toasted fennel seeds, garlic, and thyme, these tender mushrooms are a winning appetizer waiting to happen. Spoon them over ricotta-topped toast or gooey baked Brie, or add them to a cheese board with plenty of crusty bread for sopping. Get the Recipe 13 of 20 Aged Gouda Fondue with Caraway Croutons © Ryan Robert Miller "My friend Natalie's mother, who lives in Amsterdam, brings me aged Gouda each year," chef Barbara Lynch says. "I wanted to serve it as a fondue instead of on its own as an hors d'oeuvre." For those without an overseas cheese connection, Lynch suggests buying an eight-month-aged Gouda — "Nothing too smoky; just a beautiful, salty Gouda." Get the Recipe 14 of 20 Herb-Roasted Olives © Edward Pond These herb-roasted olives are an elegant, simple hors d'oeuvre that's easy to prepare and even easier to snack on. Serve them warm or at room temperature. Get the Recipe 15 of 20 Bacon-Wrapped Dates Abby Hocking A perfect cocktail party snack, bacon-wrapped dates are chewy, crispy, sweet, savory, and smoky all at once. Plump and tender Medjool dates are stuffed with a mixture of blue cheese and cream cheese, and a toasted walnut stands in for the pit. Fresh goat cheese could easily be swapped for the blue cheese, and roasted salted almonds can replace the walnuts. Get the Recipe 16 of 20 Fig and Prosciutto Flatbreads © Quentin Bacon This flatbread is topped with sticky-sweet fig jam, pungent Gorgonzola cheese, and salty prosciutto, then garnished with sliced scallion. Get the Recipe 17 of 20 Wine Bar Nut Mix © Tina Rupp This fantastic sweet-savory mix of pecans, almonds, and walnuts from The Casual Vineyard Table, by Carolyn Wente and Kimball Jones, makes a great gift or party snack. Get the Recipe 18 of 20 Fig Bars with Red Wine and Anise Seeds © Andrew Purcell This delicious homemade grown-up version of Fig Newtons calls for adding red wine and anise seeds to the jammy fig filling. The crust gets even more tender the day after baking. Get the Recipe 19 of 20 Gougères with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Prosciutto Photo by Fred Hardy II / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Christina Brockman These cheesy puffs look fancy, but come together in minutes to make any snack feel like an occasion. We topped ours with slivers of prosciutto and smoked salmon and dollops of caviar and crème fraîche, but any toppings will do. Or, simply eat them plain — they shine on their own. Get the Recipe 20 of 20 Two-Bite Parmesan Biscuits Caitlin Bensel These biscuits are baked on a bed of grated Parmesan cheese, resulting in a crispy, cheesy crust around the bottom of each biscuit. Perfect on their own, try them drizzled with a bit of honey, or improvise by tossing a few handfuls of fresh thyme or chives into the dough to take them over the top. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit