Holidays means gatherings of family and friends. Creating a platter with an assortment of cheeses can be a stress free way to provide a great complement to wine.

But then, there you are at your local gourmet market, staring at the hundreds of cheeses and wondering how to put together a platter that not only looks appealing, but work well together.

Here are a few basic cheese platter tips:

• Variety - mix it up, offer a selection of different styles of products, milks and looks
• Keep it simple - three or four cheeses will work for any event - too many and no one will remember what they tasted anyway.
• Talk to your cheese monger - don't be shy about asking your local cheese monger. That's what they're there for and what they enjoy.
• Label the cheese - write down the names of the cheeses and put the names adjacent to the cheese. A nice way to do this I by using a slate platter and writing the names of the cheese directly on the platter with chalk.
• Don't buy cheese too far in advance - remember, cheese is alive. Purchase it a day or two prior to your event.

Here are some examples of cheeses that work well together.

Light and Easy
Brie (creamy), Cheddar aged at least 12 months, Goat Gouda (trust me, almost everyone likes this cheese) and Fourme D'Ambert (creamy blue even your mother will love)