Sonoma County Picnic Pack: What to Bring to Wine Country Events
There are a lot of ways to spend a weekend in Sonoma County. Wine tasting in Healdsburg, a drive out to the coast, a day on the Russian River, a farmers market stop, a concert, a park picnic, or just loading up the car and seeing where the day takes you.
Whatever the plan is, food makes it better.
At Panizzera Meat Co. in Occidental, we like picnic food that feels a little old school: good salami, rich pâté, pork rillettes, premium jerky, snack sticks, seasonal jams, cheese, crackers, fruit, pickles, and something cold to drink. It does not need to be complicated. It just needs to be good.
Why We Carry Olympia Provisions
At Panizzera Meat Co., we have always cared about doing things the old-school way. Being a 114-year-old butcher shop in a small historic building comes with some real limitations, especially when it comes to space and modern USDA requirements around producing ready-to-eat foods.
The USDA does not want us making those products in our current setup, so we are very careful about who we partner with.
That is why we carry Olympia Provisions. They are a trusted partner making salami, pâté, and rillettes the way we used to: with real craft, traditional methods, and respect for the product. Their ready-to-eat items give our customers the kind of old-world picnic and charcuterie options we believe in, while letting us stay focused on what we do best here in Occidental: whole carcass butchery, handmade sausages, premium jerky, fresh cuts, and dry-aged steaks.
Start With Salami
A good picnic starts with something you can slice, snack on, and pass around. We carry four Olympia Provisions salamis that are perfect for a Sonoma County picnic.
Cacciatore is a classic, rustic salami with a bold, savory flavor. It is easy to slice, easy to pair, and exactly the kind of thing you want with cheese, crackers, olives, and a glass of red wine.
Sopressata brings a deeper, richer flavor with a little more old-world personality. It is great for anyone who likes a more traditional Italian-style salami with plenty of character.
Finocchiona is made with fennel, giving it a slightly aromatic, sweet-savory flavor that works beautifully with lighter wines, fresh fruit, and soft cheeses.
Saucisson Sec is a French-style dry salami with a clean, balanced flavor. It is simple, elegant, and easy to pair with almost anything you would pack for a Wine Country picnic.
Grab one, or grab all four and turn the picnic into a full tasting board.
Add Something Spreadable
This is where the picnic gets a little fancier without becoming fussy.
The Olympia Provisions Brandy Pistachio Pâté is rich, smooth, and perfect spread on toasted bread or crackers. It brings that little “wine country picnic” feeling without needing a reservation or a white tablecloth.
The Pork Rillettes are another great option. They are savory, rich, and rustic, with that slow-cooked pork flavor that makes a simple cracker or piece of bread feel like something special.
Pair either one with cornichons, mustard, pickled onions, or a simple baguette and you have a picnic spread that feels like it took a lot more effort than it actually did.
Add Local Seasonal Jam
A good picnic board needs a little sweet to go with all that savory.
We carry a huge variety of seasonal jams from Lala’s Jam Bar in Petaluma, and they are a perfect addition to crackers, cheese, salami, pâté, and rillettes. A spoonful of jam brings brightness, fruit, and a little Sonoma County sweetness to the board.
Try it with crackers and cheese, spread it next to pâté, or use it to balance the richness of pork rillettes and salami. It is an easy way to make a simple picnic feel more thoughtful, more local, and a lot more fun.
Don’t Forget the Jerky
Jerky is the ultimate Sonoma County weekend insurance policy. Keep it in the car, in the cooler, in your backpack, or tucked into the picnic bag. When the wine tasting runs long, the kids get hungry, the restaurant has a wait, or the drive home takes longer than expected, jerky saves the day.
We make seven flavors of premium jerky:
Original Brisket Jerky
Cracked Black Pepper Brisket Jerky
Teriyaki Brisket Jerky
Spicy Sweet Brisket Jerky
Salt & Pepper Steak Jerky
Serrano Salt & Pepper Steak Jerky
Old Fashioned Maple Bacon Pork Jerky
Our brisket jerky has a more tender bite, while our steak jerky has a bigger, chewier texture. Both are great for road trips, hikes, picnics, beach days, camping, wine tasting weekends, or keeping in the truck just in case.
Snack Sticks Are Made for the Cooler
If jerky is the weekend backup plan, snack sticks are the easy-grab favorite. They are perfect for the cooler, lunchbox, tailgate, picnic basket, or glove box snack stash.
We carry pork and beef snack sticks in four flavors; Original, Jalapeño, Teriyaki and Honey BBQ.
They are easy to share, easy to pack, and perfect when you want something savory without needing a knife, board, or prep time.
Build the Perfect Sonoma County Picnic Pack
Here is a simple setup:
Olympia Provisions salami
Brandy Pistachio Pâté
Pork Rillettes
Lala’s Jam Bar seasonal jam
Panizzera premium jerky
Pork and beef snack sticks
A baguette or crackers
Local cheese
Pickles or olives
Fresh fruit
Sparkling water, beer, cider, or wine
Napkins and a small knife
That is it. You do not need much more than that.
Made for Wine Country Weekends
Sonoma County is full of places worth slowing down for. A blanket under the trees, a picnic table at a winery, the back of a truck at the coast, a riverbank lunch, or a simple board at home after a long Saturday.
Good meat, good snacks, good local jam, and good company go a long way.
Stop by Panizzera Meat Co. in Occidental before your weekend plans and build your own Sonoma County picnic pack with salami, pâté, rillettes, seasonal jams, jerky, and snack sticks ready to go. Since 1914, we have been helping people eat well in West County, and a good picnic is still one of the best ways to do it.