Chill Cheeses for the Park & Beach

It’s a quintessential Bi-Rite experience to pack a picnic and walk it around the corner to Dolores Park or Alamo Square, and the same set of cheeses would happily go to the beach. If you’re carrying a cooler, “It’s sort of like take whatever you want,” Fancey says. And with options open, “People do love softer, gooier cheeses.”

Local goat cheese gets extra lush now that the goats are out of the barn and munching on fresh grass. A Comté hits those high notes from the alps, and marinated cubes come conveniently packed in olive oil and herbs. Snack on sweet strawberries and crunchy sugar snaps, and think outside of the box of crackers with fun potato chips. Plus all those fresh flavors call for a green bottle of Gruner, which costs less than 20 bucks.

Sturdy Cheeses for Hiking & Camping

Cheese can totally come hiking or camping, even without any refrigeration. “Well yeah, you can enjoy cheese at room temperature,” Fancey reassures. “It’s okay if cheese is out of the fridge for a day. If you’re planning on eating it — that’s always the caveat.”

Go for a Gouda so firm and rich that you can almost taste the cows chomping wildflowers (Wilde Weida literally means “wild meadow” in Dutch). A proper clothbound Cheddar crumbles into sharp bites, while a young Manchego boasts big butterfat flavor. Forage for fruits and nuts with a handful of almonds, spoonful of inky black cherry jam, and seedy crackers. And a canned Zinfandel blend just might be the best thing to happen to camping since the invention of Gore-Tex.

• Wilde Weide Gouda (cow, firm, Holland)
• Chisquero Manchego (sheep, firm, Spain)
• Quicke’s Mature Cheddar (cow, semi-firm, England)
• Marcona Almonds
• La Maison du Piment Black Cherry Jam
• Dianne Love Love Crisps
• Las Jaras Waves Canned Red Wine

Local Cheeses for Wine Tasting & Oyster Slurping

What is a roadtrip to wine country without a cheese snack? “If the idea is that you’re enjoying another agricultural product of Northern California, in that sense, I’m going to suggest cheeses that are also from California,” Fancey says. And if you’re going to slurp oysters at Hog Island, Point Reyes creamery is only six miles away, so it’s worth getting a full taste of the bay.

You can never go wrong with crowd-pleasing triple-cream Mt Tam from Cowgirl Creamery. The Point Reyes Toma is so simple and striking it pairs beautifully with most tastings. And the Point Reyes Blue is a California original with big briny character and a smooth creaminess. In the back of the car, tuck in a classic baguette, a bag of local almonds, and some peppery radishes. You might not need to bring a bottle if you’re headed to a wine tasting, but it’s worth chasing little oysters with sudsy bubbles.