Sometimes, you just need to add a little “spring” to your step – especially during those darker winter months! This Charcuterie Bouquet is perfect for Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or just something fun to whip up for your next wine and cheese night!
Each beautiful charcuterie rose on this board is designed to pair with a specific Jules Taylor wine – these Marlborough wines are the perfect way to celebrate everyday, or any special occasion.
About Jules Taylor Wines
In a serendipitous event, Jules Taylor was born in Marlborough the same year the first vines were planted there (foreshadowing? I think so!) This incredible winemaker is known now for some of Marlborough’s best wines – especially her Sauvignon Blanc.
Jules is the owner & winemaker at Jules Taylor Wines, the Queen of Sauvignon Blanc and godmother to several hundred thousand little grapes. She’s a straight talker who’s also a darn nice person.
In this post, we’ll pair her Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Gruner Veltlinger with this delicious & surprisingly easy Charcuterie Bouquet!
How to Make a Cheese & Charcuterie Bouquet
When asked how she prefers to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her husband, Jules Taylor’s response was: “Oh I don’t know… My husband George and I are so hopelessly unromantic! ☹ We would probably have lots of yummy snacks and call it a meal: cheeses, charcuterie, olives, baguette – and a bottle of wine!”
Well, I couldn’t agree more! I love making a meal out of a cheese & charcuterie board. We’re just taking it to the next level here with this beautiful Charcuterie bouquet!
How do you turn a Charcuterie board into a bouquet? It’s easier than you might think!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed on how exactly to go about crafting your charcuterie board, check out How to Craft the Perfect, Simple Charcuterie Board DIY!
Start by gathering your ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 6oz Salami (I used a “trio” package that had 3 different types, offering some visual differentiation!)
- 8oz Dried Mango, unsweetened
- 8oz Round Provolone Slices
- Cucumber
- Edible Flowers
- Mint
Wine Pairings:
- Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc
- Jules Taylor Pinot Noir
- Jules Taylor Gruner Veltlinger
1) Charcuterie rose
Start by making a charcuterie rose using a wine glass. I prefer to use a glass with a thinner diameter (i.e. these Riedel glasses from target), to create a tighter rose. Keep in mind, the diameter of the wine glass will be the diameter of your rose. So a bigger glass is going to require more salami to look full!
You’ll need round pieces of salami for these charcuterie roses. Place one slice of salami on the rim of your wine glass and fold it in half, over the rim.
Overlap another piece of salami over the first piece and keep doing this around the rim of the glass.
Keep creating layers, overlapping the salami and building the thickness. The first layer will be more spread out while the last layer will be placed closer together.
Make sure to really press the meat onto the wine glass really well so it sticks together and tightly holds its rose shape.
I typically use 12-15 pieces of salami per rose.
When you’re ready to place the charcuterie rose on your board, flip over the wine glass, place it against the board where you want it, and pull away from the charcuterie.
Ta-da! You now have a pretty charcuterie rose.
Repeat this to get 3 roses onto the board.
2) Dried Mango Rose
Making a rose from dried mango is essentially the same steps as above, albeit a bit more challenging since dried mango is less maldable.
I found it crucial to work with the shape of the dried mango pieces rather than forcing them.
Start by making a mango rose using a wine glass.
Mango slices have a unique shape, so try to find the more bendable, round ones. Use them horizontally if they’re oblong. Place one slice of dried mango on the rim of your wine glass and fold it in half, over the rim.
Overlap another piece of mango over the first piece and keep doing this around the rim of the glass.
Keep creating layers, overlapping the mango and building the thickness. The first layer will be more spread out while the last layer will be placed closer together.
Make sure to really press the mango onto the wine glass really well so it sticks together and tightly holds its rose shape.
I used 8-10 mango slices per rose.
When you’re ready to place the dried mango rose on your board, flip over the wine glass, place it against the board where you want it, and pull away from the mango.
You’ll need to hold the mango onto the board as you pull away, and may need to use a toothpick to get it to remain together. I ultimately did not, but if a toothpick had been an option, I would’ve used it!
Ta-da! You now have a pretty dried mango rose.
3) Cheese Rose
For this cheese rose, I used round slices of provolone. You can use whatever cheese slices you want, as long as they’re thin and round.
Here we’ll use a new method to create the cheese roses.
Begin by cutting the round slices of cheese in half.
Then, line the cheese up, overlapping at the halfway point. Lineup 6 pieces of cheese total this way. Then, starting at one end, begin to roll the cheese together tightly. Once it’s in a roll, flip so the round side is up, and place on the board.
Ta-da! You now have a pretty cheese rose. Repeat this a few more times to achieve as many white cheese roses as you’d like.
4) Finishing the Charcuterie Bouquet
Now that you have the main points of the charcuterie bouquet complete, it’s time to wrap things up!
Slice the cucumber horizontally into thin, stem-like slices. Pat dry and place onto the charcuterie bouquet like flower stems.
Next, place mint leaves/stems onto board sparingly in places to fill in extra space and make it look like flower leaves.
Finally, add in additional edible flowers where needed to add a “wow” factor to the charcuterie bouquet.
Pair with wine, serve, and enjoy!
The Perfect Wine Pairings
Each element on this charcuterie bouquet board is designed to pair with one of Jules Taylor’s delicious and amazing wines.
Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc
The flagship wine – Jules Taylor is known as the “Queen of Sauvignon Blanc”. This beautiful wine sings out with full-throttle flavor: intense, vibrant passionfruit, limezest, and lemongrass, followed by crushed herbs and a touch of beautiful minerality. The mouth-watering and juicy acidity gives way to a long, zesty, lip-smacking finish.
This wine is going to pair beautifully with the fruity mango roses and the creamy provolone roses as well! Mango has a natural affinity with citrus, especially lime which makes this pairing absolutely enhance every flavor.
Jules Taylor Gruner Veltlinger
Gruner is a wine that you can pair with just about anything – It can even stand up to strong spices! Here we pair it with something a bit easier though, the provolone roses.
In the glass, you’ll find crisp green apple, zesty ginger, and juicy ripe peach, with just a hint of citrus, honey,and white pepper (Gruner’s signature flavor!) This is a fine, concentrated wine with a lovely textural element from the wild fermented portion alongside crisp acidity and a long, refreshing finish.
Jules Taylor On the Quiet Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir can be a lot of things. In this particular bottle from Jules Taylor, it reveals its deeper, brooding side.
Violet, poached plum and stewed tamarillo notes overlay darker hints of blackberry and vanilla compote. The nose is completed by lovely smoky, earthy spice and hints of cocoa and cinnamon.Smoky oak and firm, spicy tannins leading to a long, dry finish.
This Pinot is the perfect pairing for the earthy, meaty salami roses on the charcuterie bouquet board. Savor every bite.
FAQs:
Where to buy Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc?
Jules Taylor wines are sold around the country and widely distributed. To find a store near you, check out their stockist page.
Who is Jules Taylor?
Jules Taylor is known as the Queen of Sauvignon Blanc. She is an incredible, award-winning winemaker from Marlborough, NZ. Learn more about Jules Taylor here.
