How To: Seasonal Cheese + Wine Pairings for Your Holiday Party

Who doesn’t love a nice cheese board at a party? They are easy to put together and all the work can be done ahead of time. The bonus is that they are visually stunning and can serve as the focal point of your tablescape. They can also be customized to suit the season and the dietary restrictions of your guests.

Winter Cheese Board Ideas

• Add seasonal accompaniments like homemade apple butter, pumpkin seeds, or a dip made with squash

• Use deep red fruits like blood oranges, pomegranates and figs to make your charcuterie board feel rich and warm

• Use herbs for garnish - rosemary, thyme, sage - the green hues of these herbs will complement the rich reds of your seasonal fruits perfectly

• Pair with red wine and channel your inner Game of Thrones character

Step One: Choose Your Cheese

Choose 2-3 kinds of cheese of varying type so that dish has dimensionality and variety of flavor

• Aged: Havarti, Sharp Cheddar, Parmesan

• Soft: Brie, Chevre

• Blue: Camembert, Blue Cheese, Roquefort

• Firm: Mimolette, Manchego

Step Two: Add Your Accompaniments

• Crackers or bread, or a little of both

• Fresh Fruit - seasonality is key here. During the fall and winter you’ll find amazing pears, figs, apples, and grapes

• Olives - if desired

• Charcuterie - thinly sliced prosciutto, salami, turkey or try a pate

• Nuts / Seeds - pumpkin, pistachio, hazelnuts, and walnuts are all particularly cozy

• Honey - a little drizzle can go a long way

• Bee Pollen - if you’re feeling frisky and out of the box

• Apple Butter - can be made at home, or purchased from your local grocers

• Jam / Preserve - Fig Preserves are in season and pair well with soft spreadable cheeses like brie

Step Three: Garnish

• Grab a big wooden board or platter and start bringing your creation to life! It’s generally easiest to place your cheeses first, then adding crackers, toasts, and cured meats. Fill in the gaps with nuts, fruits, and fresh herbs for an effortlessly elegant look. Be sure to have separate serving utensils for each of the cheeses and spreads, as well as a small dish for olive pits.

Step Four: Open The Wine

We could probably talk about just the wine portion of this pairing all day, but in general choose one or two different types of wine, based on the number of cheeses you choose

Below are a few basic rules of thumb

• Pair Wines + Cheeses with equal intensity

• Match super funky cheeses with sweeter wines

• Sparkling wines are incredible with soft, creamy cheeses

• Location, location location, when in doubt wines and cheeses from the same region generally go well together

• White Wine Pairings

  • Crisp, dry and young bottlings (Pinot Blanc, Muscadet, Sauvignon Blanc, young Chardonnay)

  • Off-dry wines for salty cheeses like feta

• Red Wine Pairings

  • Very young, fruity, unoaked red wines (Loire Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir)

  • Crisp, dry rosé.

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