The Best Type Of Wine To Serve With Your Next Butter Board

If you're a foodie or a wine connoisseur, chances are you've heard of a charcuterie board. But have you ever heard of butter board? They've been all the rage since they first appeared on TikTok last fall when images of the dairy spread smeared across wooden boards in an aesthetically pleasing and enticing manner were splashed across the social network (although not everybody was a fan — Padma Lakshmi basically hated the trend).

Essentially, a butter board is like a cheese board's distant cousin. It's the perfect combination of butter, seasonings, and herbs which is enjoyed as a spread on anything and everything — from crusty bread to crackers, radishes, and more.

But what is a luxurious butter board without a glass of wine to complement it? Choosing the right pairing of butter and wine is key to creating a delicious butter board that will impress your guests or satisfy that end-of-day craving. A butter's richness, texture, and flavor change according to the country of origin, type, and brand, making finding the perfect wine pairing challenging without specific guidance.

But fear not, there are some amazing, sweet, sharp, and fruity wines that will suit a wide variety of buttery spreads. From oak-aged chardonnays that pair well with classic salted butter to sampling sweet Sauternes alongside the tangy flavors of buttery smen, it's easy to indulge in a wine-paired butter board experience.

Choosing the right butter is the foundation of any successful butter board. Not only can it drastically alter the flavor profile of the food pairings and toppings you choose, but your chosen variety of butter will also dictate the wines you choose to pair with them.

While fresh, flavorful white wines are the standard go-to for buttery dishes like creamy risotto or boiled lobster, it's a different game when you're serving butter straight on a board with just a few toppings. 

The first thing to know is that quality is key. Look for high-quality butter made from grass-fed cows. It may cost a little more, but the rich, creamy flavor is worth it. Next, think about the flavor profile you want to achieve. Salted butter is always a good choice if you're going for classic and simple. If you want to mix things up and experiment with different flavors, consider adding some depth with garlic or herb butter.

For a truly luxurious experience, go for the ultra-creamy option. European-style butter, produced by churning high-fat cream, has a smooth, spreadable, practically irresistible texture. Or try smen, a fermented butter from Morocco with a blue cheese-like flavor that's downright funky and lasts for years.

Based on the butter you've chosen, you'll have a good idea of what toppings you'll throw on (sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or even figs, for example). You can use the basic tasting notes of the board to inform your wine choices.

In a breakdown of the basics of wine pairing, Usual Wines referred to wine critic Luigi Veronella's famous quote, "The flavor of food almost always reveals the quality of a wine and exalts it. In turn, the quality of a wine complements the pleasure of food and spiritualizes it." So when it comes to classic salted butter, light white wine like chardonnay or pinot grigio works best. The crisp, moderate acidity in these wines helps cut through the butter's salty richness, while the salt in the butter helps balance each wine's sweetness.

Not a fan of white wine? Try pairing a carménère or pinot noir with earthy, herb-heavy butter infused with ingredients like oregano or thyme. The herbaceous peppercorn notes of carménère will bring out the slightly spicy flavors of oregano, whereas the rich, fruity flavors of pinot noir pair perfectly with zesty thyme.

Champagne is the way to go if serving a more luxurious truffle butter. Sabrina Notarnicola from Urbani Truffles told Town & Country, "The pungent taste of the fresh white truffle bonds with the acidity of the champagne." Spritz some citrus on top of the truffle butter for a delightful match with the bright, bubbly champagne. If you're still not sure about a board full of butter, try experimenting with other flavors that might work better with your favorite wine for pairing.