How to Make a Cheese Platter for Wine Tasting

Select cheeses carefully to complement the varieties of wine served.

The eyes are the first of the five senses that determine the flavor of food, the nose is the second and the palette comes in third. Make a cheese platter for a wine tasting that is visually appealing, exudes a pungent aroma and is pleasing to the palette. Select colorful cheeses that complement the wine varieties served. Sample the cheeses beginning with the mildest ones and working in increments to the stronger flavors. Make the cheese platter while the cheese is chilled but maximize flavor and aroma by serving it at room temperature. Does this Spark an idea?

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Silver platter
Reggiano Parmesan
Bel Paese Cheese
Thin sharp knife
Strawberries
Grapes
Havarti Cheese
Cheese wire
French brie
Apples and Pears
Lemon juice
Jarlsberg
Kiwi

Instructions

- 1
  
  Place a large, oblong silver platter on the worktable. The platter dimensions are approximately 9-by-12 inches.
- 2
  
  Stand a large wedge of Reggiano parmesan cheese on end like a piece of cake. Crumble another wedge into bite-size pieces and pile them around the wedge. Reggiano pairs well with chardonnay.
- 3
  
  Cut a wedge of Bel Paese with a thin, sharp knife into thin slices approximately 1/8-inch wide. Begin at the tip of the wedge, slice back to the rear, cutting through the edible rind. Hold the cheese together in the wedge shape as it is cut. Sweet sherry and Merlot are good wines with Bel Paese.
- 4
  
  Place the tip of the Bel Paese wedge at the platter’s outside and fan it out until the back of the wedge leans against the crumbles of Reggiano Parmesan.
- 5
  
  Stack a mound of washed, whole strawberries on the left side of the Bel Paese and washed red-and-green grapes on the right side. Fresh fruit cleanses the palette while providing color and variety.
- 6
  
  Dice a thick cut of Havarti cheese into bite-size squares, piling a mound next to the grapes.
- 7
  
  Use a cheese wire to slice several wedges of young, less than 30-days old, French brie into large bite-size squares and place next to a tumble of thinly cut apple and pear slices. Treating the fruit with a solution of half lemon juice and half water for approximately two minutes prevents them from turning brown. French brie is complemented by champagne or sweet sherry.
- 8
  
  Cut a several narrow wedges of Jarlsberg cheese into 1/8-inch slices while holding them in the wedge shape. Place the tip of the wedge at the outside of the silver platter and fan them out until the back of the wedge is leaning against the crumbles of Reggiano Parmesan. Pair Jarlsberg cheese with light red or white wines.
- 9
  
  Slice kiwi fruit into ¼-inch slices and fan them out several layers deep next to the Jarlsberg cheese.
- 10
  
  Lean over the cheese platter and look at it from above. Arrange the cheese and fruit so the tray is completely filled. Add more cheese or fruit if there are low spots or more is needed for the number of guests attending.

Tips & Warnings

Make small signs on strips of paper stating the country of origin, type of cheese and the wine with which it pairs.
One pound of cheese is adequate for up to 20 people for a wine tasting.
Make a platter of sliced baguette bread and neutral-flavor crackers placed next to the cheese tray.
Provide several cheese forks placed about the platter.
Cheese tastes milder at the center than at the outside of the wheel.
Imitation silver platters are available at party supply stores.
• Clean the work area and all utensils before and after preparing the platter. Use a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts water to sanitize the work area.