10 Best Cheeses for Your Next Charcuterie Board

(Photo Credit: The Farmhouse Project)

To make an epic charcuterie board, the best cheeses have to be selected. It’s not just how delicious each cheese is individually, but how well they pair with the charcuterie meats to make the best flavor combinations. To help you assemble the most impressive offering possible, we’ve carefully selected 10 premier cheeses from around the world. We've also compiled 10 Fun Ways to Include Prosciutto on a Charcuterie Board.

Holland Delta Pepper Baby Gouda

Every self-respecting charcuterie board needs gouda cheese. Holland Delta carries a wide variety of gouda flavors, including black pepper, cumin, nettle, truffle, beer, and more! If you've never tried a flavored gouda before, the Black Pepper Baby Gouda is a safe bet to please people of all tastes. Rich and robust, it is excellent on its own, but also versatile enough for a number of excellent pairings.

Jarlsberg 

There is only one Jarlsberg, and that’s not just a compliment—it's a fact. Unlike other cheeses which have dozens of varieties and brands, Jarlsberg is the one and only brand for this type of cheese. This Norwegian cheese is actually the end result of a dedicated experiment conducted in the 1950s by researchers attempting to craft “the perfect cheese”. What they came up with was a product with a buttery, rich texture and a mild, nutty flavor that pairs nicely with just about everything. Jarlsberg will fit in seamlessly on your cheese board no matter what you serve.

Mitica Drunken Goat Cheese in Red Wine

Most people enjoy a glass of wine with their charcuterie platter, so Mitica went ahead and infused red wine straight into their goat cheese! This semi-firm goat cheese from the Murcia region of Spain is cured for up to 72 hours in a traditional Spanish red wine. The result is a bright white cheese with a purple rind that has a beautiful, smooth fruit taste. It’s a great way to offset any strong flavors on the board.

Queserias del Tietar Monte Enebro Cheese

Queserías del Tiétar surprised the cheese world in 2003 by winning the award for Top Goat Cheese in Spain. Monte Enebro Cheese has the creamy texture of a goat cheese and the impactful flavor of a blue cheese. Add this Spanish goat cheese to your next charcuterie board for greater dimension and depth of flavor. Accent it with raw honeycomb or some refreshing fruit.

La Cabezuela Tradicional Semi Curado Cheese

Another award-winning item, La Cabezuela Tradicional Semi Curado is a traditional Spanish goat cheese aged for two months and salted by hand. It won the bronze medal for World’s Best Cheese 2011-2012 and 2015-2016 for its combination of grassy and earthy flavors. The edible rind that develops during the maturation process provides a pleasant aftertaste of fresh wild mushrooms. 

Smoked Scamorza Treccione

Scamorza cheese is a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from Southern Italy. People often describe its taste as a cross between mozzarella and provolone. It is a rather mild cheese, making it an excellent option to please a variety of palates. This scamorza has been smoked for an even greater depth of flavor.

Collier's Easy Mellow Cheddar

There are untold varieties of cheddar cheese, so it can be daunting to pick the right one. One surefire choice is Collier’s Easy Mellow Cheddar aged for five or six months. As its name suggests, this Welsh cheddar offers a creamy, smooth texture as well as a well-rounded sense of sweetness and standout flavor. Its mildness makes it a highly versatile cheese that can please people of all tastes.

Moreno Truffle Spanish Cheese Wedge

A true gourmet platter is not complete without truffles! The strong, earthy flavor of this delicacy melds beautifully with the nutty taste of Spanish Manchego. The Moreno Truffle Spanish Cheese Wedge is a hard cheese, so it brings a much welcome texture variation to the charcuterie board.

Casa Madaio Rosso Cheese

The Casa Madaio Rosso Cheese is a seasoned cheese from Campania, Italy. Sweet pecorino is aged for two months and then uniformly dusted with red pepper powder before being stored for another four months. The unique red coloring on the rind is both beautiful and piquant, creating a spiced pecorino that will go well with lightly smoked charcuterie meats. 

Finca Pascualete Cumbre de Trujillo Cheese

Finca Pascualete Cumbre de Trujillo Cheese is a pasteurized sheep’s milk, semi-cured cheese made according to ancient tradition. Aged for 45 days, this Spanish cheese possesses a creamy texture and a well-balanced taste, finishing on the palette with a subtle spiciness. Its nuanced flavor earned it a Silver Medal at the 2017 World Cheese Awards. Spread Cumbre de Trujillo cheese on bread and drizzle it with honey for a salty-sweet treat.