One of the easiest appetizers to serve at a wine tasting party is the charcuterie platter. Though they require little advanced preparation, charcuterie boards—filled with cured meats, cheeses, olives, mustards and more – can impress guests with the way they bring out the best in the wines you are serving.
A Perfect Tasting Party Platter can be as extravagant, elegant and costly as the wines you’re serving, but great food that complements the wines you’re serving doesn’t have to cost a fortune and can be every bit as impressive!
Because I like to offer a wide variety of wines from my cellar when I am hosting a wine evening at home, I will often create 2 or 3 different charcuterie platters and spread them around so that guests do not gather in any one place for long and mingle with many people.
The gourmet items listed above can be expensive and hard to find if you aren’t near neighborhood specialty stores that carry them, or don’t have enough lead time (or the budget) to order them from online suppliers. Some of my favorite, inexpensive and easy to find, things to include:
- Ripe Pears
- Apricot Jam
- Crisp Apples
- Fresh Seasonal Berries
- Softly Flavored Melons
- A Simple Vegetable Platter
- Old South Pickled Vegetables
- Mezzetta Pickled Olives & Sweet Peppers
- Boar’s Head Mustards
- Dalmatia Orange Fig Spread
- Dalmatia Black Olive Tapanade
- Hadley Orchards Medjool Dates
- Assorted Unsalted Mixed Nuts
- Deli Prosciutto
- Deli Hard Salami
- Boar’s Head Deli Meats
- Chunks of Roasted Turkey Breast
- Chunks of Roasted Chicken Breast
- Baby Swiss Cheese
- Smoked Cheddar Cheese
- Jam Covered Goat Cheese
- Untruffled Triple Cream Brie
- Trader Joe’s Aged Parmesan – Gouda
- Whipped Cream Cheese with Prepared Basil Pesto
- Assortment of Unflavored Crackers, Breadsticks, Sliced Baguette
You don’t have to go broke creating a charcuterie platter. Cost Plus World Markets carries imported meats, cheeses, spreads, wines, nuts, olives, the perfect presentation boards & knives to serve them, and more, gives a 15% discount if you have their Free Membership card, plus (if you want to order & ship) they often run online specials like their current 10% off with the code they show on their site. Trader Joe’s, Amazon, your local grocery stores and even Home Goods carry many of the same and more. Keep your eyes open and you’ll start to see new things to include everywhere!
Since they’re so kind at sharing their great charcuterie tips with #GirlsGoneWine, one and all, keep in mind that if you’re looking for things to do in Healdsburg, one of my favorite stops is Jordan. They offer a FABULOUS Wine & Charcuterie Tasting. #FunLisaWineOh
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