Memorial Weekend in the Wine Country is a big wine tasting weekend in the Willamette Valley. Most wineries open up their doors in celebration of spring and have some sort of special tasting; many even release new wines. We had a few friends in town to join us for wine tasting on Saturday, so The Renaissance Man and I decided to put together a Wine Country Picnic. We picked out our seven essential food pairings for a picnic in wine country.

Pairing wine with food can often highlight unique flavor notes in the wine, and also enhance the flavors of the food. Nibbling on snacks while wine tasting is especially important if you’re going to do several tastings in the same day. And really, who doesn’t love a picnic?

Since we’re members at The Sokol Blosser Winery and they were having a big Memorial Day event, we decided to do a picnic out back behind the new tasting room. The great part about wine tasting in the Willamette Valley is that most wineries will let you bring a picnic and they provide tables and chairs outside for you to enjoy their wine and nibble on food.

The Renaissance Man and I then set out to create the perfect basket of food for a Wine Country Picnic! We deemed the following items as “essential” although you can certainly mix, match, and tweak the basket to you’re liking.

1. Soft Cheese

2. Fresh Bread

We picked up a fresh baguette at the Newberg Bakery on our way to the grocery store; nothing beats fresh bread and the Newberg Bakery does a great job! At the grocery we picked up brie and goat cheese. Soft cheeses are great for a picnic because they’re easy to spread and slice on a piece of bread. The cheese can also be paired with other picnic essentials.

3. Olives and Mushrooms

Olives are a must for wine tasting! The salty olives coated in oil are a pop of flavor in your mouth. We also picked up these marinated mushrooms which were a hit at the picnic table.

4. Cured Meats

The Renaissance Man loves prosciutto! I introduced it to him when we first met and he’s always trying to figure out a way to incorporate it into meals. Along with prosciutto we also picked up some slices of capicola. A piece of prosciutto over some brie on a slice of baguette…simply scrumptious!

5. Chocolate

6. A Spread

It probably goes without saying, but you must have a bar of Chocolate! Some prefer pure dark chocolate, but I like chocolate with flair. The Chocolove XOXOX bars are some of my favorites especially the Orange Peel and Almonds & Sea Salt. Be mindful of the temperature though, it got a little hot on Saturday and we ended up with melted chocolate. It might be good to throw in some type of ice pack to keep things chilled.

I discovered Dalmatia Fig Spread when I live in Austin, Texas. Someone had it at a party, and I’ve been lucky enough to find it in a few grocery stores around town. The Renaissance Man was insistent that we have some type of spread whether it be hummus, a vegetable spread, or in our case, fig spread. It’s nice to have something for people to enjoy if they happen to be lactose intolerant and can’t eat cheese.

7. Fruit

With so many rich flavors, fresh fruit helps to clean the palate, and I really enjoy pairing fruit with Pinot Gris or a Rosé. We chose to have apples and grapes, but I could also see bringing cantaloupe, berries, or watermelon.

Other important items to bring along include a small table cloth (we used large cloth napkins), napkins or small plates to eat off of, cheese knifes, and something to collect the left overs. Having a good sturdy basket is also important. On our way home from the grocery The Renaissance Man and I stopped by Goodwill in Newberg to pick up a nice basket to carry everything. I highly recommend Goodwill for baskets, they’re super affordable and always have a good selection.

Also bear in mind that you will need to carry the basket. When we do this again, I won’t be using any Pyrex to carry food items, the glass makes the basket too heavy. You also run the risk of breaking something.

The picnic turned out great! Coming up with your own parings made the wine tasting that much more enjoyable. We’re so thankful for our wonderful friends and for the chance to share good food, wine, laughter, and live music together.

Sokol Blosser even had a few vendors on site that were offering pairs with different wines. My favorite was the Moonstruck Chocolate Truffle. Moonstruck does a five piece Oregon Pinot Noir Truffle set and one of the truffles is made with Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir. Talk about the perfect paring!

Spending the day with friends was a nice break from our big weekend yard project, and I’m already looking forward to our next Wine Country Picnic!