Pairing Your Charcuterie Board With Wine
What is better than drinking? Drinking with a fabulously paired wine and cheese.
Charcuterie boards have hit their prime. These beautiful displays of meats and cheeses have brought a new form of elegance and aesthetic to anybody that regularly scrolls social media. While you might be wrapped up in the general display of your charcuterie board or in the general activity of drinking, there are a couple things that you might want to know when pairing wine and cheeses together. In addition to some yummy flavor combos, pay attention to some adorable display options for the best pairings for charcuterie boards.
While countless cheeses can be added to your board, making them beautiful, some basic ones absolutely have to be addressed. Many charcuterie boards highlight basic cheeses in addition to flavorful and bold cheeses. Keeping a well-balanced board is key, but pick your favorite cheese on your charcuterie board or the crowd’s favorite cheese and go from there.
Brie and Pinot Noir
Brie can be a flavorful cheese regarding its unique flavor points. The texture of this cheese tends to be buttery, but the flavor notes are considerably earthy, especially as it ages. While alone, this cheese is a crowd-pleaser. Adding a Pinot Noir to the mix is a great option. Typical Pinot Noirs have an earthy flavor note accompanied by some more fruity flavors such as raspberries or cherries. This makes it accompany a brie quite well while still giving each distinct flavor room to shine. Don’t be afraid to enunciate the fruity flavors by adding some berries around the brie cheese while presenting.
Merlot and Monterey Jack
There are few all-American kinds of cheese, but Monterey Jack can’t be forgotten. With a tangy aftertaste, this cheese is a crowd-pleaser. Monterey Jack is perfect for any charcuterie board because it is quite mild. Sometimes you will find this cheese accented with varying peppers to give it a bit of a kick. Merlot pairings can be quite challenging to specify as there is a wide range in flavor notes in most Merlots. However, this is not an opportunity to pick another wine. Instead, try a couple and see what you like. Pick your favorite Merlot and accessorize your charcuterie board with that. Merlot’s typical flavor notes are quite bold, highlighting clove, cherries, cocoa, and oak. Pairing a Merlot and Monterey Jack together creates a pleasing balance between bold and subtle.
Young Gouda and Madeira Wine
Here is one you might not have heard of before. Gouda is a fantastic cheese ranging in flavor notes, textures, and diversity. This cheese can often be found on a charcuterie board and for a good reason. It’s pairing a Madeira Wine. Madeira wine, a fortified wine, originates from the island of Madeira in Portugal. It is typically created with a variety of grapes. The dryness of this wine ranges between bottles, but it is definitely something to check out if you are feeling adventurous. Be sure to add some dark chocolate to your board to create an additional unique flavor palette.
Jarlsberg and Whites
Jarlsberg is another excellent option of cheese that can bring your charcuterie board up a level. Even if you have another cheese on your board you favor over Jarlsberg, this is a great option to appease the white wine drinkers. Nobody said you had to stick to one bottle. Jarlsberg pairs exceptionally well with white wines, especially dry or semi-dry Chardonnay or Riesling. Because Jarlsberg tends to have nutty flavors while holding a buttery consistency, whites are an excellent pairing for this cheese. Don’t just stick to these suggestions. Play around with this flavor palette, as this cheese can be quite versatile in its pairing.
Cheddar and Vintage Port
Cheddar is one of the most versatile cheeses on a charcuterie board. This pairing is specifically for a sharp cheddar that has a more distinct flavor. Vintage Port is a great pairing with this sharp little number because of its prestige alone. Both elements of this pairing take quite a bit of time, and both fall under a classy and unique flavor palette. Before you go jumping the gun here, remember that this pairing is recommended explicitly for one another. Adding in jams or other flavors can throw off this balance, so be careful when picking your accessorizing elements for your charcuterie board.
These are the basic options for pairing trendy cheeses with wine. You might be wondering about how to present your cheese and wine to harmoniously look as fabulous as they taste. There are countless ways to display wine, either by building the bottle itself into your charcuterie board, leaving it off to the side, or adding a display for the wine and wine glasses itself. The presentation can make or break the vibe you are trying to create, so be sure to think about this ahead of time.
Diversity at its Finest
Wine decanters are a great option when completing the look you are going for. Adding this slight accent off to the side diversifies your color range and the shapes that exist on your table. Unique wine decanters add a unique look, so be selective when choosing your first decanter.
Cool Things Down
Ice buckets are a great accessory to your presentation as well. Ice can be displayed in unique ways by changing colors, adding elements into the ice itself, or relying on an ice bucket’s aesthetic. Whichever way you decide to go, don’t look at ice as an ugly accent. Perceive it was an opportunity to show your skill as a presentation.
Whatever cheese or wine pairing you choose, pick something you genuinely enjoy. We are our own harshest critiques, it’s true. But you might as well enjoy the pairing, especially if you had to do all the hard work. If you don’t know which combo is good, create a trial charcuterie board and sample a few different wines. This can also be turned up a little by having a wine night and asking all your guests to bring a bottle of wine. Not only does this cut the cost of buying wines, but it provides an excellent opportunity to explore the flavors you enjoy.
