Fall California Cheese Board

(Disclaimer- this isn’t a sponsored post, but I did receive this wine for free as a part of an advertising campaign for The California Fruit Wine Co).

Instead of being titled Fall California Cheese Board we should probably call this The-Post-in-Which-Sarah-Went-Overboard-at-Whole-Foods post.

But really, I’m getting so excited about the weather turning cool and the air getting crisp.  (Yes we have marginal temperature changes here in Southern California… like 5 degrees of change..).  But lately it’s been actually cool, the clouds have been hanging low, and it has just been feeling like fall.

And then I received these amazing fruit wines in the mail from The California Fruit Wine Company, and I knew what I must do.I must make an amazing cheese board.

And decided to make it California themed. 

So everything on this board was grown or produced in California.  (Except the prosciutto).  The McIntosh Apples are from Northern California, the beautiful gourmet grapes from the Central Valley, Jackie’s Plum Jam from San Diego, locally roasted maple pecans and pepitas.

And of course the centerpiece- the cheese.

The 3 cheese that I selected are as follows:

1. Petite Camembert from the Marin French Cheese Company.  This is a delightfully creamy yet mild soft cheese that is sure to be a crowd favorite.
2. Point Reyes Blue Cheese is always a winner- it’s creamy, earthy, and pungent (but not quite as pungent as many European Blues).
3. And, finally, Vella Dry Monterey Jack made in Sonoma, which is a nutty and salty cheese, evoking a memory of crumbly and salty parmigiano reggiano cheese.

You could certainly substitute whatever cheese you prefer on your cheese board depending on what is locally available and your own personal preferences.

Everything on this board pairs amazingly well with the wines that I received.  The two wines that I’m featuring here are part of a 4 pack of wine that I received for being a founding member of the wine of the month club.  I received 2 bottles of Pomegranate wine, 1 bottle of Pumpkin Spiced Wine, and 1 bottle of Mango Wine.

I have to confess that I was a little skeptical about the prospect of fruit wine.  I’m someone who prefers dry red wines, so I had minimal expectations for this, and was expecting something cloyingly sweet (i.e. dessert-wine-esque).So I was pleasantly surprised to taste these low sugar (although I wouldn’t call them dry) fruit wines, and found them very drinkable.  The pumpkin spice wine tasted like a mulled light cider (I didn’t really taste any pumpkin or squash flavor), whereas the pomegranate and mango tasted more of the fruit that created the bottle.

I think that these wines would be great for a party or for weeknight sipping, and I decided to make mine into a quick “sangria” using just apples and grapes from my cheese board mixed with the wine.If you want to be a part of the wine club, The California Fruit Wine Co. is providing free shipping to my followers.  Click here for more information.  Don’t forget to use promo code gg2016 to receive your free shipping bonus.

Until next time, folks!  Have a great weekend!

Fall California Cheese Board

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• McIntosh Apples sliced or whole
• Grapes of your preference
• 2/3 cup of maple coated or candied pecans
• 1/4 cup of toasted salted pepitas
• 4 oz prosciutto
• Jam of your preference I used Jackie's Plum Jam

_1 wedge of each of the following:_

• Vella Dry Monterey Jack Cheese
• Point Reyes Blue Cheese
• Marin French Cheese Co. Petite Camembert

Instructions

 

• I'll just go ahead and assume you can use the photo references and assemble a cheese board without specific directions. 😉

Did you make this recipe? Head on over to Instagram and tag me @thegourmetgourmand or share on the hashtag #thegourmetgourmand. Happy cooking!