What You Need On Your Charcuterie Board When Serving Pinot Noir

Charcuterie boards provide a nearly unlimited palate of meats and cheeses to work from, and serving pinot noir alongside them is only going to make them better. Pinot noir is one of the most recognizable wine grapes in the world, famous for their role in Burgundy wine but also grown from California to New Zealand. Its low tannins and fruity flavors are crowd-pleasers, but it has a depth that can produce an amazing variety of flavors depending on where it's grown. That makes it very versatile in pairing with food, but it always helps to get a little guidance when you have so many choices. So Tasting Table asked an expert, John Montez, the training and curriculum manager at Murray's Cheese, what he would serve on a charcuterie board with a glass of pinot noir.

Montez told us that pinot noir runs the gamut from "understated and full-bodied Burgundies to the lighter and more fruit-forward styles from the West Coast of the United States." But that no matter where your wine is from, Monetez says, "Pinot noir will make for a zippy, tangy wine that pairs well with high butterfat cheeses." While high butterfat can encompass lots of cheese, like the popular Brie, Montez recommends "sheep's milk cheeses made in the Basque style such as Ossau Iraty or Murray's Buttermilk Basque." He likes a pairing that matches Pinot Noir's fruity flavor and says, "Look for a sheep's milk cheese aged between 2 and 6 months that will still have plenty of berry notes."

While Montez suggests pairing pinot noir with similar flavors in cheese, it's also good to balance things out. Montez says, "High acid wines are great choices to pair with rich food." For the meat side of things on your charcuterie board, he had a unique suggestion: "Cured duck is a good choice for charcuterie." Cured duck isn't something you are going to find in every store, but products like "duck prosciutto," are available from online specialty retailers. And it's not just the richness of duck that works so well with pinot noir. Montez says, "Duck also has a bit of gaminess that is balanced by the aromatic sweetness of this varietal, particularly ones grown in a warmer climate."

If cured duck isn't easily available or just not your thing, using that level of richness and fat is still a great guide for pairing with pinot noir. Many cured meats are nice and rich, but the classic non-duck version of prosciutto is also a wonderfully salty and creamy choice. Other great options with plenty of fatty flavor are soft and spreadable meats like pâté, terrine, and rillettes. It's hard to go wrong with these, as most meaty additions for building your charcuterie board have the fat and savory flavor to complement pinot noir. It's one of the reasons that the grape has remained a perennial favorite among wine lovers and diners everywhere.