CURATING a charcuterie board with Quince

Quince Fromagerie and Cellar is a boutique provider specialising in European and select-Australian wines, spirits and cheeses. Opened in 2018 at the Cornerstone Stores, Gold Coast Australia, Quince is a homage to it's founder's French and Italian heritage, with a fusion of family, food, wine and great conversation.

We caught up with Raf, qualified Sommelier, all-round food and wine expert and Co-Founder of Quince, to get a little help with pulling together the perfect charcuterie board and drinks to accompany our Spring picnic. Complete with cheeses sourced from around the world and a wine to match, Raf’s tips will help you level up your next platter.

1. wine

Let's begin with the important things. We selected some fresh and summery Natural Wines (free from chemicals and added ingredients) for light and easy day sipping!

2. Pair WITH CHEESE

The walk in cheese room at Quince lets you browse, taste and choose from over 40 different cheeses. Raf recommends the Manchego and accompanied with a soft de Bourgogne topped with figs!

3. CRACKERS & NIBBLES

Raf assured us that a high quality cheese cannot be served on any old cracker, it needs to be "sturdy and crisp"! He handed us some fig "Toast" and Charcoal squares. Next he handed me a pack of dried platter fruits and almonds - Yeah standard.. but they were exceptional! Produced by Port Willunga Fine Foods, who pick from only the finest growers dedicate themselves to create products for complimenting platters. They include Indigenous foods grown on and enjoyed from the land of South Australia.

4. FINISHING TOUCHES

It's all well and good to have beautiful quality wine, cheese and crackers but what do I do now? The last time I tried to make food into a work of art it looked more like a dogs breakfast.. So Raf offered a few tips to add some wow.

1. If adding fruits, keep them tonal in colour and stick to 1-2 only.

2. Don't dice things up too much. Keep them whole (except for apples or pears) and slice a little of the sausage for aesthetic and to make it easy when the platter is crowded.

3. Keep all the ingredients close and not too spread out.

4. Then he hands me a small jar of FIGS in syrup and tells me to pour it on top of the soft cheese "no matter how bad you lay your platter out, put the soft cheese in the centre, pour this on and all will be forgotten" - He is not wrong!

Bon Appetit!

With pleasure - Business and pleasure team.