20 Ideas For Your Summer Picnic Charcuterie Board

Forbes

09-07-2025

Summer charcuterie boards are the ideal way to entertain this season.
Charcuterie boards are a mainstay of grazing tables and dinner parties, but during the summer they take a fresher, brighter, and more fun spin. Summer is more relaxed and a great time to not be too busy about entertaining, and charcuterie boards are a casual way to incorporate fresh and seasonal ingredients into any gathering.
'This summer, we're loving a fresh take on the classic charcuterie board – it's all about bright, seasonal, and effortless flavors," said Emily Murphy, Director of Specialty Merchandising at Baldor Specialty Foods, who loves sweet melons and tangy cheeses, with bright pops of color from dried fruit and fresh produce. "This isn't your heavy winter board—it's playful, light, and made for sharing," said Murphy.
Charcuterie Board Ideas For Summer
Seasonal cheeses and fruits are a central focus of summer charcuterie boards.
For a summer charcuterie board, you'll want to prioritize flavors and wines that are light and bright. "Start with a combination of textures for cheese like an herbed chèvre, triple cream brie, an aged Comte or manchego, and a light blue cheese; my favorite is Rogue River Blue," said Chef Kristen Hall of Birmingham, Alabama's celebrated French bistro and wine bar, La Fête.
For Hall, the selection of meats on the charcuterie board should include a sliced salami, a prosciutto and a bresaola for some depth. "Add some sweet pepper jelly for the herbed chèvre, sliced peaches or figs for the brie, honey for the harder aged cheeses, and a robust plum or blackberry preserve for the blue. Bring in some crunch with Marcona almonds or spiced pecans, a selection of seeded crackers and bread. Don't forget the pickles! Cornichons, pickled okra, and sweet gherkins (they're perfect with aged cheeses)," said Hall.
Consider adding a little spice while you're at it. "When summer sizzles, your cheese board can too. Turn up the heat with Henning's Mango Fire Cheddar—a white cheddar fused with tropical mango and spicy habanero," said Shannon Berry, Cheese Marketing Specialist, ACS CCP at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, calling it a fiery flavor bomb begging for a cooling cocktail. For the more demure, go for a cheese that whispers rather than shouts. "Hoard's Dairyman Farm Creamery Belaire offers a Port Salut-style experience that's as gentle as a Sunday breeze. Made from rich Guernsey milk, it embodies soft, buttery comfort," said Berry.
As far as choosing bread for your charcuterie board, you can't miss by going with a classic. 'For me, there is only one bread for a picnic. Two baguettes sticking out of a picnic basket is an image that says - this picnic is serious,' said Gadi Peleg, founder of Breads Bakery. "Baguettes are perfect because you can rip a piece with your hands, with no need for a serrated knife. If you want to make the perfect little sandwich from a beautiful charcuterie board, a butter knife is enough knife to cut a baguette lengthwise. A charcuterie board, a fresh baguette, a beautiful bottle of wine - it's a picnic.'
Summer picnic with fruit, charcuterie board, baguette and rose wine.
Wine That Goes Well With A Summer Charcuterie Board
For wine with the charcuterie board, Hall loves a flirty Pet-Nat (Hall's pick: Kobal Bajta Pet-Nat), a Rosé with personality (Domaine du Petit Bonhomme 'Pipelettes'), a crisp Chenin Blanc (Domaine de Belliviere "Premices") and a chilled red (Kewin Descombes Cuvée Kéké Beaujolais).
'In the summer, people tend to gravitate to lighter, more refreshing white and orange wines," said Doreen Winkler, a sommelier and founder of Orange Glou, a wine store and subscription dedicated exclusively to orange (aka skin contact) wines. 'Orange wines, which are made with white grapes but in the way that red wines are made with the pressed juice staying in contact with the grape skins, are especially great with a charcuterie board in the summer (and any time of the year).'
According to Winkler, the skin contact, which can range from a few hours to days, weeks or months, gives these wines a unique range of textures from light to tannic and colors from pale orange to dark amber, making the wines very versatile and food friendly.
'My ideal summer picnic charcuterie board includes nectarines with burrata and basil drizzled with olive oil and balsamic glaze, paired with a white wine like Furmint from Oliver Weingartner in Somló, Hungary. The wine has notes of honeysuckle, green apple, and the perfect light creamy consistency to stand up to the burrata while at the same time its subtle aromas work with the stone fruit,' said Winkler. Furmint also works great with blue cheese like gorgonzola dolce with honeycomb thanks to its fruit-forward aromas and refreshing acidity.
'An orange wine like Riesling Italico from Società Agricola Klanjscek in Friuli, Italy, will go well with the whole board, from cured meats to cheeses and summer vegetables: radishes, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes, and a red beet tahini dip. It has notes of red juicy apple, tropical citrus, and petrol notes, as well as wonderful texture due to 3 months of skin contact,' said Winkler. It also pairs very well with spicy sopressata, its acidity cutting through the fat and its body balancing the weight of the sopressata . 'I had this pairing recently and it's amazing!' said Winkler.
A sparkling Pinot Grigio Ramato by Cantina Furlani in Trentino will go well with goat cheese with ash rind like Humboldt Fog and grilled figs. 'The wine has super soft and airy bubbles almost of the consistency of this fine cheese and its aromas include tart raspberry and orange popsicle, it works so well together. This Pinot Grigio also pairs really well with mortadella, the crisp acidity cuts right through the fattiness,' said Winkler.
Foods That Pair Best With Wines On A Summer Charcuterie Board
"A rillette or Finocchiona would pair beautifully with a classic cool-climate Riesling such as the Alloro 2023 Estate Riesling," said Denali Whaley, Executive Chef at Alloro Vineyard in Oregon wine country. This wine pairs beautifully with a charcuterie board because it's crisp, refreshing, and picnic-ready.
For something a little unexpected, try boquerones or smoked trout with toasted corn from Albina City Nuts, cornichons, and marinated olives. "I would recommend a tangy cheese like Briar Rose Fromage Blanc or Cypress Grove's Humboldt Fog to complement the Riesling's acidity, and an aged gouda could kick things up a notch and add some variety," said Whaley.
Fresh summer berries on a charcuterie board are a must this time of year! "No matter what you are drinking, locally grown berries have to be showcased for the sweet short season while they last!" said Whaley.
When building a charcuterie board, Whaley typically likes to place items that complement each other next to each other. "For example, soft cheeses next to fruit or preserves, cured meats next to pickles or olives," said Whaley.
Recipes To Try With A Summer Charcuterie Board
One of charcuterie board maker Lauren Delp of Silverlake Socialite (whose boards have been served at the Grammys three years in a row!) favorite combos is Chevoo Urfa Chili & Lemon marinated goat cheese served on a Firehook Sea Salt Cracker. "The tangy goat cheese is infused with zesty lemon and a hint of warm spice from the Urfa chili, offering a balance of bright and savory flavors. The crisp, subtly salty cracker makes the perfect vehicle — not too bold, so it lets the cheese shine," said Delp, who believes this pairing is especially lovely with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc or even a citrus-forward rosé.
Delp says this is another classic flavor combination that gets elevated with the addition of creamy burrata and seasonal cherries.
"The saltiness of thinly sliced prosciutto complements the sweetness of cantaloupe or honeydew, while the cherries bring a tart, juicy pop," said Delp, who says burrata adds a luscious creaminess that ties everything together — decadent, but still unmistakably summery. "Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic glaze, and flaky sea salt for extra depth!" said Delp.
For Delp, this combination is a quintessential summer bite — bright, juicy, and cooling.
"I recommend using a sheep's milk feta like President Valbreso Feta. It's notably creamier and richer than standard cow's milk feta, which balances beautifully against the sweetness of ripe watermelon," said Delp, who offers a fun tip: 'A fresh basil leaf adds an herbal note that ties the flavors together, creating a Mediterranean-inspired bite that's both visually striking and refreshingly light.'
How To Build Your Summer Charcuterie Board
Include a variety of cheeses for an intriguing and exploratory charcuterie board. "Try to include a spectrum of textures from soft to hard, and an assortment of flavors: mild, grassy, nutty, funky. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I like to have 1-2 specialty cheeses that my guests are probably not familiar with, to enrich their experience and expand their cheese knowledge a little. Brie, gouda, gruyere, muenster, and manchego are crowd pleasers that even the biggest cheese snob can't resist," said Ann Ziata, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. .
Consider the season. "Harder cheeses can stand warmer weather, so if you are planning on being in the sun for a while, firmer cheeses like cheddar and parmesan will keep best," said Ziata.
Don't just cut all the cheese into cubes. "Remember that different cheeses have different ways that they need to be cut. Soft to medium cheeses can be kept as whole and guests can serve themselves from the log or wedge. Firm cheeses should be cut before serving. If the firm cheese has a rind, start by cutting it first into wedges. Then cut off and discard the bottom and top of the rind, and finally slice the cheese so that the slices all have rind on only one edge, like the crust of a slice of pizza," said Ziata.
Don't just throw a bunch of raw vegetables on the board and expect it to be appetizing. "Grilled then pickled mushrooms, summer squash, peppers, and eggplant all add a light, refreshing contrast to meats and cheeses, but with enough smokiness and acidity to make them hold their own," said Ziata.
Make some sweet and spicy bar nuts. "Roast almonds or pecans with oil, maple syrup, salt, and cayenne for a flavorful, crunchy bite," said Ziata.
Stone fruits like nectarines, peaches, and apricots can be sliced and fanned out. "Try to find fruits that are ripe but not overripe; they should be sweet but still solid enough to sit on the board without making a juicy mess," said Ziata.
If you are looking for some spreadable preserves to include, fig or blueberry jam is always a hit. "I'm a big fan of mostarda, an Italian condiment made from candied fruit and mustard that is the perfect sweet-and-spicy accompaniment to cured meats," said Ziata.
Charcuterie boards are all about being informal, not fussy or taking yourself too seriously. So choose a great wine and interesting cheeses, and have some fun with it!