I’d imagine you’re wondering: why butcher paper for a Wineluck Club tasting? I’m giving away my family’s Texas meat-smoking roots with this one, but it can’t be helped: butcher paper is just practical to have around.

How I use it at Wineluck Club tastings:

1. Lining the charcuterie board. Yup. I will often cut a slice of butcher paper to match the size of my charcuterie board because jam gets spilled, berries stain and cheese that sits out for a while starts to really sink into the wood. Butcher paper just makes clean up so. much. easier.

2. Skipping the charcuterie board entirely. Roll out some butcher paper on your countertop or table and just put the food on top of it. You can also use a marker on the paper to mark what everything is. If you’re so inclined, you could even mark where you want each bottle of wine on the table.