How to host a Wine & Cheese gathering while traveling
I was lucky enough to fly to San Francisco last month with my friends Annie of Annie Reeves and Megan of The Freckled Italian. The girls and I were getting together for an event we were hosting, and since we had a little down time that evening we thought why not relax and catch up with a glass of wine and some snacks? Now this may seem like quite a hassle at first since we were staying in a rental home, but with these two girls by my side we were able to put together a beautiful and satisfying spread in no time.
We wanted to keep it simple, so we focused on grabbing just a few necessary items from a local store and went from there. This is one of my favorite things about traveling: getting to visit new markets in the city and seeing all the unique treats they have to offer. Before we headed out we made a list that I think will make anyone's cheese board dreams come true—especially if you're short on time.
Here's our list:
- One Baguette
- Gluten Free Crackers
- A few different Cheeses like Goat, Brie, and a Hard Cheese
- Green Olives
- Fig Jam
- Prosciutto
- Almonds
- European Style Butter - it's the best
- Some Seasonal Fruit
- Cornichons
- Some Dark Chocolate
This list is pretty fool proof if you're trying to put a cheese board together. Just remember to choose snacks that you love and to refrain from overthinking it. Plus, if you can get your hands on some high quality cheese like the Vermont Creamery cheese we had, then you'll be completely fine.
Having a list was really helpful once we got to the store because we were able to divide and conquer, making that part of the process extremely quick. Once we got home we grabbed a cutting board, some jars, and a few glasses for wine. Thankfully our Airbnb has just what we needed, and I had some extra cheese boards on hand for our event the next day. Now what if you're staying in a hotel you might say? No problem! Most hotels would be more than happy to send up some plates and glasses, which are basically the two most important things when putting a wine and cheese gathering together, plus if you're at a hotel, then you don't have to do any dishes :)
Once our boards were put together the girls and I opened a bottle of La Crema's Monterey Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir and headed outside so we could enjoy our spread under the cotton candy sky that the beautiful city of San Francisco graced us with. I felt so fortunate to be traveling, but also to have taken part in an intimate hang out that made our time together all the more special. So next time your traveling with friends, or you find yourself in a city where friends can come to you, why not try and host a little gathering? For more tips and pictures of our get together be sure to check out La Crema's blog, as well as Annie and Megan's blog.
All of these gorgeous images were taken by our talented friend Ozzie.
Thank you to La Crema wines for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
