A Serious Cheat Sheet for a Serious Wine and Cheese Pairing
Wine and cheese go together like coffee and cream, but with so much to choose from it can be difficult to find the perfect combination. There are a few things you should consider when shopping for your selection, whether you are hosting a dinner party or simply enjoying at home.
Photo Source/Credit: spiritedsingapore.com
Match Age and Intensity
Like humans, wine and cheese are generally more complex with age, and as you may be able to guess, strong flavors enjoy the company of other strong flavors. When pairing rich and full-bodied red wines, look for aged cheeses with nutty and savory notes. Young, juicy and fresh wines like dry rosé or sparkling wines go best with young cheeses.
The 5 Major Cheese Groups
When it comes to cheese, there are five major categories you should know. Each has its own unique characteristics and varies in complexity. The main types of cheese include:
Fresh and soft: mozzarella, feta, Brillat-Savarin, Crottin, ricotta
Medium aged, semi-hard: Edam, Manchego, young cheddar, Havarti, Monterey jack
Stinky: Morbier, Epoisses, Taleggio
Blue cheese: Stilton, Bleu d’Auvergne, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Cambozola
Hard-aged: aged cheddar, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago, aged Gouda, Cheshire
Principle Pairs
Each type of cheese is likely to pair well with a specific set of wines. It may be a good idea to have a few wines on hand if you are serving to guests so they can choose their favorite pairing. Keep in mind every wine and cheese has its own flavor properties, so give these pairs a test before you serve:
Fresh and soft: Riesling, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, White Port, Cava
Medium aged, semi-hard: Chardonnay, white Bordeaux, Dolcetto, Champagne, Merlot
Stinky: red Burgundy, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Sauternes, Gewürztraminer
Blue cheese: Tawny port, Tokaji, Sauternes, Banyuls, Oloroso sherry
Hard-aged: Madeira, vintage Champagne, Nebbiolo, aged white Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon
Remember, pairing wine and cheese is an extremely subjective art, so don’t worry if a dinner guest doesn’t rave over your favorite pair. Instead, relax and enjoy the wonderful party and pairs you have put together!
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Oooo now this is my kind of post!!!! I am both cheese and wine obsessed!!!!
This is very helpful! I know nothing about wine so I definitely need this to know what cheese to pair it with. I do love cheese however, and you are spot on 🙂
I am bookmarking this post. For years I have wanted to host a wine and cheese party but don’t have the knowledge to arrange the pairings. I saw a “white port” listed as one recommendation … I never even knew there was such a thing. I love good port wine so I will have to check that out!
Nice piece! Definitely need to learn more about pairing wine and cheese.
I need to print this out because I do love my wine and cheese. I’m terrible at pairing them though so this is really helpful.
Cheese and wine is always awesome, especially if you know what the perfect pairings are! Thanks for this info!
Good to know! I was never good at wine pairings, because I don’t really drink wine. But it’s good to learn these things.
i love cheese and wine…..