Wine and cheese pairing can be a daunting prospect, but it doesn't have to be. With a few simple guidelines, you can easily match the right cheese with the right wine to create a delicious and memorable culinary experience. Wine and cheese pairing is all about finding complementary flavors and textures. From selecting the right type of cheese to understanding the nuances of different wines, this article provides all the basics for creating stunning wine and cheese pairings.
There are several food and beverage pairings in the culinary world that are synonymous with each other: croissants and coffee, ceviche and rum, and the focus of this article, cheese and wine. All these pairings have one thing in common: the sensory experience associated with each component is enhanced when consumed as parts of a whole, as opposed to when consumed individually. Cheese and wine make for a particularly good pairing in this regard, since the creaminess of the cheese cuts through the tannin of the wine, making it considerably less bitter. The way the cheese is affected depends on the type of wine in question. Drier cheeses work well with reds, soft cheeses with whites, and so on. Read on to find out what cheese works best with your wine of choice.
Red Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon: Cabernet Sauvignon is undoubtedly the most popular red in the market today. The right cheese for this wine is often a semi-hard or firm cheese. Overly hard cheeses, such as parmigiano reggiano, should be avoided. Cheeses such as gouda, cheddar, and asciato pair wonderfully with bottles across a range of vintages. Some younger bottles may be paired with soft cheeses such as brie, though softer cheeses are best avoided for this style.
Syrah: Syrah takes particularly well to cheese, owing to the notes of fruit and spice that are characteristic of the style. Aged and funky cheeses both suit this style incredibly well. Gorgonzola, grana padano, roquefort, and gruyere are excellent choices for syrah. The wine also takes well with some soft cheeses, like camembert and brie.
Merlot: This medium tannin wine works well with hard cheeses, especially those with a salty and/or savory taste. Parmigiano reggiano, cheddar, and pecorino all pair excellently with the wine. The relatively low tannin content also allows for pairings with softer cheeses, such as gruyere and emmental.
White Wine
Chardonnay: The world’s most popular white wine takes excellently to a range of cheeses, owing to the versatility of the style. Younger, less oaky bottles are best paired with semi-hard cheeses such as gouda and edam; medium-oaked bottles pair well with the aforementioned cheeses but may also benefit from richer soft cheeses, like double or even triple creme brie. Older chardonnay may be paired with aged or funky cheeses, such as taleggio or gruyere.
Riesling: Just like chardonnay, riesling takes well to a variety of cheeses, with the pairing being dictated by the dryness of the bottle. The wine goes well with both hard and soft cheeses. Sweeter vintages take well to salty cheeses, which include both hard cheeses like gouda and soft cheeses like feta and halloumi.
Pinot Grigio: This fruity white is best paired with soft cheese. Cheeses such as feta, young cheddar, brie, and even mozzarella are all great choices when it comes to pinot grigio of any vintage. Try these cheese pairings with a pinot gris from the same vineyard and vintage for an interesting experience.
Sparkling Wine
Champagne: The world’s favorite bubbly pairs surprisingly well with cheese. Champagne is best had with mild, soft cheeses, such as brie and baby Swiss. More dry styles of champagne may benefit from funkier cheeses such as roquefort or gruyere.
Prosecco: Just like champagne, this Italian white sparkling wine is best paired with mild, soft cheese. Sweeter bottles may benefit from salty cheeses like parmigiano reggiano or grana padano.
Cava: This popular Spanish white sparkling wine is best paired with sheep cheeses that are from the country, namely the many types of manchego. Other salty cheeses such as parmigiano reggiano and grana padano also go well with the wine.
Rose
Wines that are made in this style are often fruitier compared to red wines that are made using the same grape. With this in mind, pair your favorite rose with saltier cheeses as opposed to those you'd usually consume with the corresponding red.
Port
Every wine enthusiast worth his salt knows that the fortified red is best consumed with stilton. However, the ruby red wine also takes excellently to a variety of both soft and hard cheeses, namely comte, manchego, gorgonzola, and prufrock. White port benefits from salty cheeses, namely parmigiano reggiano, cheddar, and gruyere.
