Wine and cheese pairing: 7+10 tips for a perfect gourmet experience
Why, exactly, is it wine and cheese? The British culinary expert and traveler Patience Gray said in 1957: “Cheese is probably the best food and wine is the best drink.” Combine the two ”bests”: study the rules for pairing them, and enjoy today’s article with tips for wine and cheese combinations.
Why plan ahead when pairing wine and cheese?
The right selections in a combination of wine and cheese can provide a perfect gourmet experience because the one heightens the taste of the other. Contrasting tastes – salty with sweet or astringent with delicate – complement each other wonderfully. But beware: a poorly-chosen wine can make a cheese seem bitter, or cause you not to taste it at all. The individual tastes can clash or be overwhelmed.
One sometimes encounters general recommendations for pairing wine and cheeses that come from the same region. This is because during the time of their geographical coexistence a harmonization of tastes has taken place. This is testified by the combinations used in traditional regional recipes. However, it’s not certainly necessary to take this as a dogma.
Select a cheese for one or two wines: white or red?
Searching for a suitable cheese to go with white wine?
Do you like white wine and you’d like to enhance it with a suitable cheese? You already know that opposites attract. Therefore, adapt your cheese selection to the taste profile of your wine – is it sweet or dry? Is it light or heavier? Take a look under the lid to find some combinations you’ll enjoy trying:
- Taste light white wine with hard or semihard cheeses – for example, parmesan cheese complements Sauvignon very nicely.
- Try a heavier white wine with a semihard cheese such as Gouda or Madeland.
- Is there a dry white wine in your wine rack? Combine it with a fresh cheese or a cheese with white mold – most typically, this might be a Camembert.
- Sweet white wine pleases your taste buds when you combine it with blue cheese. For example, Tokaji wine makes a harmonious pair with the British blue Stilton.
Tip: Have already you tried Soave, one of Italy’s best-selling wine? You can get better acquainted with it in our article on Soave and try it together with a cheese with white mold, such as Camembert.
Which cheeses go with red wine?
Have you heard the claim that red wine is unsuitable for pairing with cheeses? It isn’t true – even red wine tastes heavenly with cheese. Just follow a few simple rules. First of all, select a quality wine and try to combine it with hard cheeses – they perfectly balance its tannins. Fill in the rest of your platter with strongly-flavored savory pastries and olives.
- Light red wines make an excellent complement to hard cheeses with a dry, natural crust. Don’t be afraid to also try them with flavored cheeses.
- Serve a heavier or dry red wine with ripe cheeses. For example, wines of the Syrah variety will get along with them very well.
- Do you like sweet red wine? Then try a Port wine in combination with a strong-smelling cheese such as Roquefort.
Tip: We wrote above that wine and cheese from the same geographical area get along splendidly. Try the famous Italian Brunello with Asiago cheese. They hail from the same region and together they’ll provide you with an exceptional taste experience.
Looking for wine inspiration for your favorite cheese?
Is your favorite one among the world’s top 10 most popular cheeses? We’ll show you below which wine you can try to pair it with:
- Cheddar: Taste this native of Britain with Pinot gris wine.
- Brie: This delicate, creamy cheese will get along wonderfully with a fresh wine with some acidity to it. Try it in combination with Chardonnay.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: It’s nicknamed the “king of cheeses” and it is a perfect complement to Italian Barolo. What do you say to this royal combination of cheese and wine? Take a look at our article on Barolo, and you’ll find out why it will sweep you off your feet.
- Asiago: A cheese made from aromatic milk of cows that graze on the Asiago plateau goes together splendidly with wine of the Syrah variety.
- Gruyere: Try this Swiss cheese with the world-famous Barbaresco.
- Feta: What is probably the oldest Greek cheese makes a perfect taste duo with Chablis.
- Mozzarella: Enjoy the creamy white cheese with a Tuscan Chianti.
- Manchego: Try pairing this sheep cheese, made from the milk of the breed of this name with a Rioja.
- Gorgonzola: Open up the dessert wine Vin Santo for the most famous representative of the Italian blue cheeses.
- Epoisses: Taste this creamy cheese with the famous Sauternes.
The potential combinations of wine and cheeses are inexhaustible – don’t be afraid to experiment. However, there is one basic rule in the discipline of pairing with and cheese: always choose a quality cheese and a quality wine. You can buy the latter here with us – we offer outstanding vintage wines from a wide range of countries.
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