What to Serve at a Wine Tasting: 7 Top SA Producers

You've chosen the McLaren Vale wines. Glasses are lined up, the first bottle is on ice, and someone arrives with a giant tub of hummus and a supermarket cheese board. That is usually the moment a tasting starts to lose shape. Heavy dips, sweet chutneys, and too many rich bites flatten acidity, blur tannin, and make the second red taste harder than it should.

A good tasting platter does a specific job. It keeps palates fresh, gives each wine a fair run, and helps guests notice why a bright Fiano, a savoury Grenache, or a firm Vale Shiraz tastes the way it does. Acidity, salt, fat, and texture all matter. If you want a practical starting point, this guide to perfect wine and cheese pairings lays out the basics clearly.

The best home setup is not a random grazing board. It is a considered shopping list. For McLaren Vale wines, that means buying from South Australian producers who know how to bring balance to the glass: clean lactic cheeses, proper smallgoods, olives with bite, and preserves used with restraint.

Research published on ScienceDirect found that good pairing recommendations can lift wine sales by about 45% in hospitality settings. The same principle applies at home. Serve the right food, and people read the wine more accurately, talk about it more confidently, and remember the bottle for the right reasons.

If you're setting up bottles on a sideboard or styling a proper drinks corner, Quote My Wall's cabinet guide is a useful reference. Then stock the table properly with South Australian makers that complement and improve McLaren Vale wines.

1. Woodside Cheese Wrights

Woodside Cheese Wrights is one of the easiest producers to use when you want a tasting board that feels thoughtful rather than overloaded. They make the kind of spread that lets you move from soft and lactic through to richer, more aromatic styles without leaving South Australia.

For McLaren Vale wines, that range matters. A soft goat cheese can sharpen up a fresh rosé, a triple-cream can soften the edges of a firmer red, and a washed-rind can stand up to a bigger Shiraz if you keep the portion small. Their smaller formats are particularly useful because a tasting should offer contrast, not leftovers for a week.

Best use on the board

I'd use Woodside to cover the “creamy and delicate” end of the platter, not the whole thing. Choose two or three styles with clearly different textures.

• For sparkling or rosé: Pick a fresh goat cheese or a lighter white-mould style.
• For medium-bodied reds: Use a richer bloomy rind in modest wedges.
• For one conversation piece: Add a washed-rind or a buffalo-milk option, but keep it separate so it doesn't perfume the whole board.

If you want a broader pairing framework, McLaren Vale Cellars has a handy guide to perfect wine and cheese pairings.

Service rule: Cut soft cheeses smaller than you think you need. At a tasting, people need two bites, not a full serve.

The trade-off is practical. Seasonal lines can disappear, and refrigerated delivery needs a bit of planning, especially outside metro areas. Still, for hosts wondering what to serve at a wine tasting when they want variety without fuss, Woodside is one of the strongest starting points in the state.

2. Section28 Artisan Cheeses

If Woodside gives you softness, Section28 Artisan Cheeses gives you structure. These are savoury, alpine-influenced cheeses with enough depth to sit beside proper McLaren Vale reds without being flattened.

Many home hosts mistakenly buy only creamy cheeses, then pour Cabernet or Shiraz and wonder why the wine feels angular. Harder, cave-aged styles bring salt, nuttiness and umami. Those elements help tannin feel more settled and make oak look less dominant.

Where Section28 shines

Section28 works best in the middle or latter half of the tasting, once you've moved beyond sparkling and lighter whites. A wedge of Monforte, cut into slim shards rather than chunky cubes, is far more useful than a giant wheel of something mild.

A few smart ways to use it:

• With Shiraz: Pair a firm, savoury cheese with a wine that has dark fruit and spice.
• With Cabernet Sauvignon: Let the cheese do some of the softening work that sweeter condiments often overdo.
• With Grenache blends: Use thinner slices so the wine keeps its perfume.

This sort of board-building also works commercially. Wine tastings and tours captured over 57% of global wine tourism revenue in 2023, which is one reason serious operators treat the food component as part of the conversion, not an afterthought. The same logic applies at home. If the board helps the wine show better, people remember the bottle.

A small spoon of Loyaltie's raw wildflower honey can work with harder cheeses if you use it sparingly. The mistake is flooding the palate with sweetness before the next sip.

Section28's downside is availability. Production is limited, and you won't always find every style when you want it. But when you do, it's exactly the sort of South Australian cheese that makes a red tasting feel grounded and regional.

3. Skara Smallgoods

A wine tasting without something salty and fatty usually falls flat once the reds hit the table. Skara Smallgoods solves that quickly. Their range gives you prosciutto, salami, coppa and pâté options that plate neatly and bring exactly the kind of savoury lift McLaren Vale reds like.

This isn't about piling on meat. It's about using charcuterie as a texture and seasoning tool. A ribbon of prosciutto can make a Shiraz feel juicier. A firmer salami can pick up the spice in a Grenache blend. Done well, charcuterie smooths the tasting rather than hijacking it.

What works and what doesn't

The best move is to use Skara for contrast across the lineup. Start milder, then increase intensity with the wine.

• Best first pick: Mild prosciutto with rosé or a lighter red.
• Best second pick: Coppa or a gentler salami with mid-weight reds.
• Use carefully: Pâté and heavily spiced salami. They can dominate earlier pours fast.

For hosts serving bigger reds, the guide to pairing wine with steak is useful because the same principles apply. Protein and fat can soften the perception of tannin, but only if the seasoning doesn't race ahead of the wine.

Salt, fat and protein do the heavy lifting on a tasting board. Everything else is support.

One practical downside is sourcing. Skara is often easiest to find through stockists and delis rather than a direct online basket, so last-minute planning can be a bit retailer-dependent. Pricing also varies depending on where you shop.

Still, if someone asks me what to serve at a wine tasting built around McLaren Vale Shiraz, charcuterie from a producer like Skara is almost always on the list.

4. Baylies Epicurean Delights

Every tasting board needs something quiet. That's Baylies Epicurean Delights. Their lavash, crackers and grissini are useful because they add crunch without shouting over the wine.

That sounds simple, but it's one of the hardest things to get right. Many supermarket crackers are too sweet, too seedy or too aggressively flavoured for tasting. If a cracker leaves a strong herb, onion or roasted garlic note behind, the next pour has to fight through it.

The practical role of neutral carriers

Bread and water are widely used in tasting settings to reset the palate, and industry guidance also points to light, savoury, simple snacks as the safest option between pours in a mixed group, as discussed in this piece on the best appetisers for wine tasting. Baylies sits nicely in that lane.

Use Baylies as the base layer of the board, not the star.

• Lavash: Best under cheese or soft spreads when you want a clean bite.
• Premium crackers: Good beside both whites and reds if the seasoning stays restrained.
• Grissini: Handy for standing platters and easy self-service, though they're less useful for loaded bites.

The family-owned, Australian ingredient focus is a nice bonus, but what matters most is consistency. Uniform size makes the platter look cleaner, and guests are less likely to overbuild each bite.

For broader pairing ideas across wine styles, McLaren Vale Cellars' complete wine and food pairing guide is a good reference point.

The only real drawback is that some lines can be seasonal, and shipping costs matter if you're ordering a modest amount. But for a host who wants to know what to serve at a wine tasting without accidentally muting the wine, Baylies is a smart pantry staple.

5. Tucker's Natural

Tucker's Natural is the practical host's backup plan, and I mean that as praise. Not every tasting needs rare-batch everything. Sometimes you need reliable crackers and fruit pastes that are easy to find, easy to replenish, and unlikely to clash with the wines.

That's where Tucker's earns its place. If you're hosting interstate guests, setting up a larger event, or don't want to chase small quantities from multiple specialist retailers, this brand makes life easier. Selected lines are widely ranged, and the online store is built for larger entertaining needs.

Best for larger or mixed groups

Tucker's is especially useful when dietary needs and convenience are both in play. Existing wine-snack content often defaults to the same cheese-cracker-fruit template, but there's more demand now for lighter and more inclusive entertaining options, especially when guests want variety beyond the usual board. This article on snacks for wine tasting touches on that broader need for local, seasonal and dietary-aware choices.

Here's how I'd use Tucker's on an SA tasting table:

• For overflow support: Keep an extra box ready so the board never looks picked over.
• For fruit paste control: Serve tiny dabs, not stripes. Sweetness can swamp a dry red quickly.
• For mixed dietary groups: Use clearly separated piles and dedicated knives or spoons.

The trade-off is obvious. The online shop often leans toward case quantities, which is excellent for events but not ideal for a quiet Friday tasting at home. And supermarket stock can vary from store to store.

Still, Tucker's is one of the easiest ways to keep a board tidy, accessible and serviceable when guest numbers creep up.

6. Kangaroo Island Olives

A lot of hosts forget the palate-reset category. They think only in terms of cheese and charcuterie. Kangaroo Island Olives fills the gap with naturally fermented olives, tapenades and olive-based condiments that bring brine, bitterness and herbal lift.

That's valuable on a McLaren Vale table because richer reds can tire the palate fast. A small olive between pours, or a restrained spoon of tapenade on a plain cracker, can sharpen things up before the next wine. Used carefully, these condiments also pull out herbal and savoury notes that often remain subtle in the glass.

How to serve them properly

Don't dump a whole jar into one bowl and call it done. Olives and tapenade are support acts, and they need portion control.

• Olives: Serve in small bowls with a discard dish nearby. Keep them dry rather than oily if possible.
• Tapenade: Spoon into tiny ramekins and pair with plain crackers only.
• Olive oil: Better as a light finish for bread on a casual platter than in the core tasting sequence.

Keep briny items away from delicate whites. They're better placed from rosé onward.

The shelf-stable format is a genuine advantage. You can pre-portion ahead of time, and the jars keep hosting stress low. The limitation is flavour range. If you rely on one producer alone, the board can feel a little same-note unless you mix green and black olive styles or contrast them with dairy and charcuterie elsewhere.

For South Australian provenance, though, this is a strong inclusion. It feels local, useful and grounded in real entertaining rather than generic grazing-board styling.

7. Beerenberg

Condiments are where restraint matters most, and Beerenberg gets the balance right if you do your part. Their cheese condiments range, including quince and pear, fig and pomegranate, and other fruit-led options, gives a tasting board those classic sweet-acid bridges that can make cheese and red wine click.

This is especially useful with hard cheeses and firmer reds. A tiny touch of fruit can round the edges of salt and tannin at once. It also works well with brie-style cheeses and sparkling, where the fruit note can echo the wine without covering it.

The key is portion size

The easiest hosting mistake is over-serving condiments. Guests see jam, they spread it like breakfast, and the tasting is finished for the next ten minutes.

A few ways to use Beerenberg well:

• Use teaspoons, not tablespoons: Small dollops beside the cheese, never across it.
• Match sweetness to wine weight: Heavier reds can tolerate a little more. Lighter wines can't.
• Keep one flavour per cheese area: Too many fruit condiments create confusion rather than choice.

There's also a practical bonus here. The product pricing is transparent on site, and some items are easy to keep in reserve for future tastings. For hosts who want consistency without making their own accompaniments, that matters.

This isn't a primary board item. It's a finisher. Used sparingly, it ties the board together. Used heavily, it masks the wine.

For off-site tastings, just remember the obvious downside. Glass jars travel less gracefully than crackers or cured meat.

Wine Tasting Serving Options: 7-Vendor Comparison

Product	Implementation complexity	Resource requirements	Expected outcomes	Ideal use cases	Key advantages
Woodside Cheese Wrights	Low, small formats ready to plate	Chilled storage and refrigerated delivery; variety of small SKUs	Balanced, contrasting cheese flights suited to reds, rosé, sparkling	Cheese tastings, curated boards, wine-pairing events	Wide style range; ideal 100–180 g portions; educational offerings
Section28 Artisan Cheeses	Medium, requires slicing/ageing-aware handling	Limited production; may need advance ordering or specialist stockists	Terroir-driven, savory cheeses that enhance structured reds	Premium tastings focused on tannic/aged wines and regional story	Complex, cave-aged flavors; distinctive savory profiles
Skara Smallgoods	Low, pre-sliced/deli formats ready to serve	Chilled storage; mostly sold via stockists and delis	Salty, fatty counterpoints that smooth tannins and add texture	Charcuterie boards, mixed tasting flights	Traditional European methods; consistent quality; range of intensities
Baylies Epicurean Delights	Very low, shelf-stable, no prep	Minimal storage; online ordering and shipping; seasonal SKUs possible	Neutral, crunchy carriers that preserve wine focus	Boards needing neutral bases; delicate white and mixed flights	Preservative-free products; consistent shapes for clean presentation
Tucker's Natural	Low, ready-to-serve but often bulk-packed	Widely available via supermarkets; case quantities common	Unobtrusive crackers and fruit pastes suitable for large events	Large tastings, last-minute sourcing, event replenishment	Easy national sourcing; bulk pricing and online discounts
Kangaroo Island Olives	Low, shelf-stable jars, simple portioning	Shelf-stable storage; may require multiple varieties for contrast	Briny, herbal palate cleansers and umami accents	Between-pour palate cleansers; Mediterranean-style boards	Distinct South Australian provenance; convenient tapenade trios
Beerenberg	Very low, jarred condiments needing minimal prep	Shelf-stable jars; national availability; glass requires careful transport	Sweet-acid bridges that pair with brie, sparkling and tannic reds	Cheese boards needing sweet condiments; tastings using soft cheeses	Multiple flavours, affordable, long shelf life

Bringing It All Together

Guests arrive, glasses are lined up, and the platter matters more than people realise. A good tasting board should support the wines from first pour to last, not crowd them out. For McLaren Vale wines, that usually means one clean run of South Australian produce chosen with restraint, not a table full of competing flavours.

The simplest way to build it is as a shopping list from producers that each do one job well. Start with 3 cheeses. A soft, lactic style from Woodside Cheese Wrights gives freshness early in the tasting, and a firmer, more savoury option from Section28 carries the middle of the flight. Add two smallgoods from Skara, one lighter and one with more spice or fat. Then fill the gaps with neutral crackers from Baylies Epicurean Delights or Tucker's Natural, olives from Kangaroo Island Olives, and a small spoon of Beerenberg condiment for the richer cheeses.

For 6 to 8 people, that is enough.

The trade-off is always intensity. Put too much salami, chutney, paste and marinated produce on the board, and the wine has to fight for space. Keep the early part of the tasting plain. Save the saltier meats, firmer cheeses and sweeter condiments for the bigger reds. Water and plain bread should stay within reach the whole time. They do more work than most hosts expect.

A practical McLaren Vale Shiraz lineup could run like this:

• First pour, lighter Shiraz: fresh goat cheese or a young soft cheese, plus mild prosciutto
• Middle pour, fuller style: alpine-style cheese with a slice of salami or coppa
• Final pour, most structured wine: hard cheese, then olives or a plain cracker to reset before the last glass

That sequence keeps the palate clear and lets the wine show its shape. I use the same logic in cellar door tastings. Texture builds first, sweetness comes late, and nothing sticky or spicy goes near the opening wines.

If some guests are joining remotely, keep the format tighter again. Shelf-stable crackers, olives, and one or two cheeses that travel well are easier to portion and send, and they still give people a proper sense of place. Analysts at Wise Guy Reports describe virtual wine tasting as a growing market in their report on the virtual wine tasting market, which lines up with what many wineries and hosts are already seeing. Shorter, better-curated tasting packs usually perform better than oversized hampers.

You can round out the table with Indulgent Italian delicacies if that suits the group, but the strongest boards stay disciplined and wine-led. If you need bottles to match the platter, McLaren Vale Cellars offers South Australian wines, mixed packs and tasting resources that help you choose a flight with more confidence.

If you're building your next tasting around McLaren Vale wines, browse McLaren Vale Cellars for mixed packs, dozen deals and wine guides that make pairing and pouring much easier.