Reservation
Contact
There’s a reason everyone ends up around the grazing table during the holidays. It has a little bit of everything: something salty, something sweet and plenty of good things to try together. Add a few bottles of great wine, and you may have a hard time getting everyone to move on to dinner.
The good news? An impressive spread doesn’t require an endless shopping list or hours of careful arranging. Choose a few things you love, mix up the flavors and textures, and have some fun with it.
So, where to begin?
Start with the cheese.
As V. Sattui Cheesemonger James Ayers puts it, “Cheese first. Always.”
Try something soft and creamy, like Mt. Tam Triple Cream, alongside a semi-soft cheese like Alisios, and something a little unexpected, like Pesto Gouda. The idea isn’t to check every cheese category off a list. It’s to give people different textures and flavors to try.
Think in contrasts.
Some of the best bites have a little bit of everything going on. Creamy with crunchy. Rich with bright and tangy. Salty with sweet.
That’s where the extras come in. Candied nuts bring crunch, while membrillo, honey or preserves add something sweet. Mustards, olives, peppers and pickled vegetables bring a bright, tangy bite alongside all that rich cheese and charcuterie.
And don’t forget something sweet. Torrone, dried fruit or a favorite holiday treat can easily find a spot among all those savory bites.
Cut, fold and layer.
How you serve everything makes a difference.
Cut some cheeses into ready-to-grab pieces while leaving others in larger wedges. Firm cheeses can be sliced, cubed or broken into irregular chunks. Cut larger pieces of salumi into smaller, easy-to-grab portions, while thinly sliced charcuterie can be folded or loosely draped instead of laying everything flat.
Mixing up the shapes and sizes helps the table look full and inviting. It also makes things easier to grab, which is exactly what you want when everyone starts digging in.
You don’t need twenty different things.
Here’s an easy trick for making a grazing table look generous: repeat a few of your favorite ingredients throughout the table.
Place the same salumi in a few spots. Repeat a favorite cheese. Tuck olives, peppers, nuts or dried fruit into different areas rather than keeping each ingredient in one place.
It makes everything easy to reach, fills out the table and means you don’t have to buy the entire cheese counter to make it look impressive.
Save room for a surprise.
Familiar favorites make a great starting point but throw in one or two things people may not expect.
Maybe it’s a cheese no one has tried before. Maybe it’s sweet-tart membrillo, feta-stuffed Peppadew peppers or a favorite holiday sweet tucked in among all the savory bites.
You’re looking for the thing that makes someone stop and ask, “Wait, what is this?”
Give the wine some range, too.
With this many flavors on the table, one bottle doesn’t have to do all the work.
Sparkling wine is a great place to start with creamy cheeses and salty charcuterie. Crisp whites bring freshness alongside richer bites, while lighter reds like Pinot Noir play well with softer, earthier cheeses and cured meats. Bigger reds like Cabernet and Zin can hold their own with aged cheeses and bold flavors. And when something sweet comes out, it might be time to open a dessert wine.
But don’t overthink every bite. Put out a few different styles and let everyone experiment. Half the fun is finding a combination you didn’t expect to love.
Make it abundant, not perfect.
Start with the larger pieces and build from there. Place the cheeses first, followed by any small bowls or dishes, then add charcuterie, bread and crackers. Fill the spaces with fruit, nuts, olives, peppers, herbs and the smaller accompaniments.
Mix up the shapes, heights, colors and textures. Let a few things overlap. Tuck something into an empty spot. It should look generous, not painstakingly arranged.
“Just don’t make it too perfect. This is cheese, not architecture.”
-James Ayers, Cheesemonger
Then let everyone have at it.
A grazing table isn’t supposed to stay picture-perfect. It should change almost immediately.
Someone cuts into the cheese. The prosciutto starts disappearing. A favorite pairing gets passed around. Another bottle gets opened. Before long, the whole table looks completely different from the one you carefully put together.
That’s a sign you did it right.
Stop by the Mercato del Gusto and let our team help you pick out cheeses, charcuterie and accompaniments for your grazing table. And if your holiday to-do list feels endless, preorder one of our cheese and charcuterie platters online and we’ll take care of the rest. However you build your table, we hope there’s great wine to pour and plenty to share.
