Why Accompaniments Can Make Or Break Charcuterie And Wine Pairings, According To An Expert

When including unexpected ingredients in charcuterie boards, finding the perfect wine pairing can become a lot more challenging. While cured meats and cheeses are standard, pickles, smoked fish, and even jams can make an appearance, which complicates the search for the perfect wine to accompany your tasty treats. To get more insight into this meaty question, Daily Meal turned to Scott Mattson, co-owner of Denver's Nocturne, a beloved jazz and dinner club featuring a menu of delicious food along with an extensive wine list. Mattson is also a certified sommelier, which means he's the person to ask when it comes to supreme wine and food pairings. 

Mattson advocates tweaking the wine selection to match the charcuterie ingredients. When it comes to something like cornichons, which are small, subtly sweet pickles, Mattson advises that you steer clear of red wine. He says, "Pickles are yummy, but they dance oddly with red wine tannin, so if the accouterment game is heavy on pickles, I'd pivot to a richer, waxy white wine like Roussanne or Marsanne."

Pickles and mustard are a great combination and call for an equally great wine pairing when these two savory snacks make an appearance on your charcuterie board. As stated by Mattson, rich, oaky wines are the perfect pairing for the condiment. He suggests Meursault, a type of Chardonnay, stating, "Vanilla and mustard — yum." Meursault is much loved for its nutty flavors, which are rounded out by touches of butter and citrus fruit.

It helps to remember that there are many mustard varieties that can be included in your charcuterie board. Additionally, each type of mustard offers its own unique flavor profile. For instance, whole-grain mustard has a much stronger flavor than yellow mustard, while spicy horseradish mustard makes a bold impression on your palate. There's also honey mustard, which tempers the bold flavor with a touch of sweetness. Accordingly, you may need to adjust your wine options based on the type of mustard you're serving alongside the other ingredients.

If finding savory pairings wasn't challenging enough, you may also opt to include fruit or raspberry jam on your charcuterie board. In this case, Mattson recommends Dolcetto, a balanced Italian red that also pairs beautifully with cured meats. This wine combines the astringent nature of tannins with delightful fruity flavors to make it the perfect partner for jams on a charcuterie board.

Along with this pleasing Italian wine, there are also French selections that work just as well. Mattson recommends "a fruitier Cru Beaujolais, like Brouilly or Julienas," referencing wines that hail from Burgundy, an iconic wine-growing region in France. Brouilly features fruit-forward scents, as well as minerally, peppery flavors, which complement the sweetness of jam. As for Julienas, this wine is a mix of flowers and fruit, with just the right touch of cinnamon. With these comprehensive recommendations from the mind of a knowledgeable sommelier, you can feel free to include a variety of ingredients in your next charcuterie board.