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Pairing Wine and Cheese Tips A Delicious Marriage Generalizations about what wines to serve with cheeses can be dangerous. There are dozens of different styles of goat cheese, for instance, from young, sweet, ricotta-textured ones to aged, acid-sharp, almost Parmigiano-textured ones, and the spectrum of wines that match them follows the same gamut. Even the degree of a cheese's ripeness can affect the wine selection. How do you cut through the confusion? The happy answer is, it's hard to find a really bad wine and cheese match. Some wine choices are better than others, but few will make you cringe. Below, read some general guidelines to simplify wine and cheese pairing. back to: Cheese and Wine Pairings In general, younger, lighter wines go better with younger, fresher cheeses. Example: A fruity white wine such as Vouvray, or a light red wine like Beaujolais, pairs beautifully with a mild, semi-soft Banon (a goat cheese from Provence). Older, bigger red wines pair well with most aged cheeses, but not with blue-veined cheeses. Example: A big, gutsy red Barolo from the Piedmont region of Italy is classically paired with the deep, mellow nuttiness of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stylistically "big" red wines of certain types do not usually pair well with any cheese. So before you match up a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montaleno, Super Tuscan or big Rhone (Hermitage, Cote Rotie, Gigondas, Chateauneuf de Pap) with your favorite Brie, consider the style in which the particular wine is made. Because, while a medium-bodied, well-balanced version of one of these wines may complement cheese nicely; a big, thick version of these same wines will not. Wines with some sweetness make the best match for very strong cheeses, especially blue-veined cheeses. Example: A sweet Port and strong-flavored blue-veined Stilton is, perhaps, the quintessential wine-cheese combination. The pungency of ripe, soft Muenster is tamed by a slightly sweet, very rich, late harvest Alsatian Gewurztraminer. Brought to by Cooking.com. Written by Chris Sandin. Chris Sandin has over twenty-three years' experience in the wine business as an educator, retailer and wholesaler. He travels frequently to Europe and other wine-producing areas, and has just returned from a visit to Champagne. Chris was the Wine Director and Wine Store Manager for WINE CASK in Santa Barbara, California for several years. |
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