By Robert Giles

Not every party or gathering needs to be about a big meal or firing up the grill. Sometimes you just want to have some snacks, some good drinks, and a whole lot of fun. That's where a good charcuterie spread comes in. In this blog, we share tips on setting up your spread and how to pair it up with drinks.

If you are want to have a perfectly balanced charcuterie board you can follow the Rule of Threes. This means to make sure that your spread includes three meats, three cheeses, three starches, and three accompaniments.

For meats, look for the classics like prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, and flavored hams and turkeys. For cheeses, try not to overload with too many strong or stinky cheeses, things like manchego, gruyere, sharp cheddar, and flavored goat cheeses are a great way to go.

With your accompaniments, a combination of sweet and savory would be ideal. Apples, pears, strawberries, and blueberries are great depending on the season. Almonds, cashews, and pecans provide a savory side while jams, honey, and jellies will give a sweet flavor.

For breads and crackers, try to make sure that nothing is too tough to chew or falls apart easily.

Pairing with wine? Use fruity and acidic wines such as sauvignon blanc, riesling, and pinot noir to cut through creamy cheeses and fatty meats. Lighter fare like ham, turkey, and mild cheeses like Havarti can be paired with merlots, grenaches, and chardonnay.

If you want to step outside of the normal wine pairings you can always introduce sake, flavored soju, pilsners, or wheat beers.

We recently hosted a tasting event with Tanushree Dey of Boards by T. Combining her fantastic charcuterie combinations with wines, sake, and beer.

For the wines, we paired Eroica Riesling and King Estates Pinot Noir, both acidic and fruity wines, with manchego cheese, white grapes, and prosciutto. We akso paired Origami Thousand Cranes Sake with gruyere, apple, and salami and New Province Fallen Queen Belgian Witbier with herbed cheese, cherries, and ham.

These are just some basic ideas to get you started. You can always stop by the store and ask any of our Celebration Specialists for more ideas. If you have already picked out your charcuterie selections we can help you find the perfect pairings from across the store to fit in with whatever group you are hosting. Remember that any gathering is about having fun with friends, trying new things, and always striving to Celebrate More. Cheers!