White Wine And Cheese
White wines typically match with a much wider array of cheeses than reds. This is because white wines have no tannin, making it much easier to match them together. If theres one cheese that doesnt match up too well with many white wines, it would be blue cheese. It tends to overwhelm. Here are a few classic pairings to consider:
In the Loire Valley, where you can find many goat herds. The goat cheeses from the Loire arent as soft or as fresh as goat cheese in the US. French goat cheeses tend to be firmer with a chalk-like taste texture due to high calcium content. As they age, the cheese develops a spiciness that will match up fantastically with a Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay . Check out cheeses like Crottin de Chavignol or Humboldt Fog as great options for a white wine cheese.
Around Veneto, youll find Garganega , which makes the wines of Soave. Soave is crisp, like Sauvignon Blanc, with a slightly bitter almond note on the finish. This wines bitterness makes it a fascinating match with a young asiago . The aged versions of Asiago go surprisingly well with a fruity, off-dry Prosecco or Moscato dAsti.
Off-dry , such as a German Riesling from the Mosel, match up wonderfully with fondue. The sweetness and acidity complement the nutty, robust fondue flavors and make everything taste delicately sweet and salty. Hungry yet?
Pairing Challenge:
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Wine & Cheese Pairing Basics
We have bucketed different types of cheeses into different groups to help make suggestions on which wines will be best with them. Wine and cheese both have different characteristics based on the age, how its made, and the different ingredients. So its best to think of these different cheeses into these groups. Of course a charcuterie board may have several different cheeses, meats and other foods on the board together. In that scenario, its typically best to pick a wine that goes with most of the food on the board. Here are some specific recommendations for each type of cheese.
Pairing Wine With Charcuterie Boards
A charcuterie board is an excellent way to mix and match different flavors, textures and combinations of different foods and wines. If you are unsure which wine to choose, its best to pair it with a riesling, pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. Those are popular wines to drink with food and are fairly flexible .
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Pairing Wine With Soft And Creamy Cheeses
Examples: Brie, Camembert, Burrata, Chèvre, Feta, and Ricotta
Soft cheeses are rich and delectable, with unique flavors and aromas. They are generally mild in taste and have a creamy, buttery texture that melts in your mouth.
Crisp whites, sparkling wines, and dry rosés are the perfect accompaniment to these cheeses. Riesling, Champagne, Gewürztraminer or Albariño are all great choices. We also like Beaujolais or Pinot Noir if youre in the mood for a red wine.
Red Wines Pairing Guidelines
Although it is believed that whites match different cheeses better than reds, nothing bans to experiment and pair the types of the world s best cheese with red wine, and find fabulous combinations.
Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Pairings
This is a full-bodied and rich-flavored red wine, rather assertive and tannic, with a fine blackberry tint. Cabernet Sauvignon food pairing includes meat dishes and mostly hard cheeses, such as Asiago, Cheddar, Manchego, Parmesan and Pecorino.
Malbec Wine Pairings
Malbec is a soft wine with a berry and rather spicy touch, though its flavor characteristics greatly depend on the region where it is produced. It pairs well with Asiago, Manchego, Mimolette and Taleggio.
Merlot Wine Pairings
Merlot is soft and fruity. It can be complemented successfully with pungent blue cheeses, Camembert, Gouda, Gruyere, and Pecorinos.
Pinot Noir Wine Pairings
Light and delicate, with a slight berry smack, this is one of the noblest and the most versatile wines. It is great with meat, poultry and vegetable dishes. Pinot Noir cheese pairing varies from Brie and Epoisses to Gouda and Gruyere.
Syrah/Shiraz Wine Pairings
Syrah or Shiraz, as it is called in Australia, is a spicy wine with a large diversity of berry, meaty and peppery flavors. It goes well with smoky and rather sharp cheeses, such as Edam, Gouda or St. Nectaire.
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Is Sparkling Wine And Champagne The Same
Champagne is the name of all sparkling wines however, not all sparkling wines are Champagne. There are several types of sparkling wines on the market. This category includes champagne, prosecco, cava, and sparkling wines from the United States. If it comes from northern France, it can only be called Champagne.
Emma Rice: The Winemaker Who Loves Sparkling Wine
Tips For Creating A Cheese And Wine Pairing
Youre practically a pro at this point, but there are a few more things to consider when it comes to pairing wine and cheese.
- Serve cheese at room temperature:Take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Plan the order of your tasting:Start with lighter wines and fresher cheeses and then work your way towards heavier wines and more mature or pungent cheeses.
- Tasting technique:Taste the wine by itself first, then cut yourself a piece of cheese and have a drink of the wine with the cheese. Your taste buds will tell you if the pairing works, or if the match is unsuccessful.
- Keep a palate cleanser on hand to refresh your palate between pairings crackers work well for this.
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The Basics Of Food Pairing With Chardonnay
Chardonnay is one of those tricky wines to pair with because of the different levels of oakiness that can be found in the bottles. Youll find that unoaked and oaked bottles of chardonnay are going to taste drastically different and will lead to some confusion when pairing the wines with food.
When pairing chardonnay, youll want to look for foods that have a rich, buttery flavor, nothing spicy. Youll also want to avoid more acidic foods like tomatoes, as the acidity of the food will make the wine taste sour.
Pairing chardonnay with foods that are creamy, light, and simply seasoned are going to be the best way to compliment the wine.
As with any wine youre going to have to adjust based on your tastes. Just because someone else loves a certain wine and food pairing doesnt mean that your taste buds are going to react the same way. Use these pairing options as a guideline and adjust based on your specific tastes.
Chardonnay Grapes Are Planted Virtually Everywhere Wine Is Made Born In Burgundy France This Somewhat Neutral
Because of its neutral nature, Chardonnay is hugely influenced by the terroir in which its made and the techniques of the winemaker. Unoaked Chardonnay, best represented by northern Burgundys village of Chablis and many new-world locales, have aromas which are sharper and edgier. Notes of citrus are common, especially lemon and lime peel. These wines can also have a wet rocks sorta smell to them. Sometimes they may even remind you of Sauvignon Blanc!
Oaked Chardonnay, on the other hand, is much more opulent and rich in aroma and flavor. Time spent mellowing out in oak barrels gives the wine hints of vanilla. If the barrel has been cured with flame when being made , the wine may also show off some toasty notes as well. These wines can come across as somewhat caramelly and plump. While oaked Chardonnay might not be exactly what youd reach for to have a glass or two with a movie, I assure you it makes for a brilliant food-pairing wine!
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The Chardonnay Genie Is Out Of The Bottle
What food goes well with Chardonnay depends on whether it is oaked Chardonnay or unoaked Chardonnay. With the many different styles of Chardonnay, it’s incredibly easy to find Chardonnay pairings with food. For food pairings with Chardonnay, the nominations and wins keep coming, just like for Meryl Streep.
Christy Canterbury is a Master of Wine, journalist, speaker and judge based in New York City. In 2014, she was short-listed for the Roederer Online Wine Communicator of the Year Award. Her work has been published in Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Edible Green Mountains, Wine Searcher, Food Arts, Snooth, Beverage Media, TimAtkin.com, Civiltà del Bere, Wine Business Monthly, TASTED, Selectus Wines and in other outlets.
Chardonnay Goes Well With Those Table Served Meals:
for unoaked Chardonnay:
- Shellfish – oysters, clams, mussels, shrimps Fresh seafood dishes cant go wrong with a bottle of unoaked Chardonnay.
- Light fish dishes, such as boiled or seared white fish with rice or vegetables.
- Sushi – Chablis and other unoaked Chardonnays are excellent choices for sushi.
- Vegetables & salads – chicken salad is a great pairing!
- Cheeses – Soft and creamy cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Mozzarella and Ricotta.
- Charcuterie board – olives, different cured meats & cheeses
- Shellfish pasta
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Pairing Chardonnay With Appetizers
White wines usually begin a gathering, whether or not a meal is to follow. So pairing Chardonnay with appetizers is very natural.
Light and bright appetizers encourage the appetite, and unoaked Chardonnay shines here. The vibrancy of fresh tomatoes makes an excellent appetizer pairing for unoaked Chardonnay, especially during the prime-time summer season. If youre in the mood for something richer, oaked Chardonnays pair nicely with appetizers that have been cooked, like Pumpkin, Ricotta & Arugula Bruschetta or Caramelized Onion, Apple & Brie Flatbread.
Check out the Rules of Thumb to Follow in this wine pairing piece to learn how a cooking principle called the Maillard Reaction changes foods. Its incredibly helpful for pairing foods with different styles of Chardonnay!
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How To Take Your Truffle Game Up A Notch
There are numerous truffle flavors to choose from. Fresh herbs, such as rosemary, parsley, thyme, basil, and oregano, are popular with truffles. If you want to experiment with your truffle cooking, try pairing it with flavors like chili, garlic, and black pepper. If you want to use truffle products, be careful not to consume too much and only to use them when desired.
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How To Pair Best
There are a number of obvious or known combinations. But there are even more adventurous combinations, which are usually the result of a pleasant trial and error, which deliver an excellent result. You can look for combinations of tastes that have an equal basis and/or reinforce each other.
Summarized you can put it like this. With a sweet creamy cheese, which are best fresh and high in fat, young supple wines pair well. Fruity white or red wines go well with spicy cheeses. And spicy or salty cheeses fit best with a luscious sweet wine.
It is also said that successful pairing lies in balancing fatty acid and flavour. It is proposed to serve lighter, fresh cheeses like chevre, brie, mozzarella in brine, cottage cheese, blues, Gouda or pressed Pecorino like Manchego with light wines such as Chardonnay.
And if you want to combine oaked Chardonnay with cheese, then go for semi-hard ripened cheeses such as mature Gouda and Comté. Continue reading and you will find more ideal combinations of Chardonnay and cheese.
Pairing Wine And Cheese The Basics
Before we explore our three pairing paths, lets set the stage for how to pair wine and cheese at a high level.
If youve ever wondered what cheese goes with what wine?, the secret to success is mouthfeel! In general, cheese has a high fat content and makes the mouth slightly oily. The tannins in wine are astringent, making your mouth feel dry. Pair them together and everything is right in the world and right in your mouth.
Does red or white wine go with cheese? The answer is both! In addition to improving the perceptions of fruit aromas in wine, cheese reduces the duration of astringency in red wine and heightens the taste of white wine. With this in mind, a general rule about pairing cheese and red wine is to match intensities, and a general rule about pairing cheese and white wines is to match opposites.
To compound these rules, cheese flavor profiles can be complex, and options like Cello Rubbed Fontals offer 8 unique spice rubs and tasting experiences, especially when paired with your favorite wine.
Now, lets get on with our wine and cheese pairing adventure.
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Looking For The Best Cheese To Pair With Your Chardonnay
With wine as versatile as Chardonnay, knowing which cheese is best to pair with your favorite bottle can be difficult. In order to understand how best to pair Chardonnay with wine, lets first look at the basics:
- Look for textural similarities between the wine and cheese
- Always taste the wine before the cheese, as the cheese will have a much bigger impact on the taste
Sticking to these guidelines should make the process of pairing the Chardonnay and cheese easier but remember: trial and error is often the way forward!
Which Cheese To Pair With Your Favourite Wine
Most people like to pair red wine with cheese and thats fine – just bear in mind that there are some cheeses, as Ive suggested above, that taste better with a white wine or dessert wine so don’t be afraid to experiment.
10 popular wines and the cheeses to pair with them
1. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Bordeaux blends – cheddar, gouda and other hard cheeses
2. Pinot noir – brie and camembert
3. Rhône and other southern French reds – a good all-rounder with a French cheeseboard
4. Rioja – particularly good with sheep cheeses like Manchego
5. Chianti – parmigiano reggiano and pecorino
6. Port – blue cheeses like stilton
7. Sauvignon blanc – goat cheese and feta, cheeses with garlic and herbs
8. Chardonnay – buttery cheddar
9. Pinot Grigio – mozzarella and other mild Italian cheeses
10. Champagne and other sparkling wine – Vacherin Mont dor, Chaource
If you enjoyed this post download my cheese book 101 Great Ways to Enjoy Cheese and Wine for loads of other pairing ideas
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Your Wine And Cheese Pairing Adventure
No matter which pairing path you may choose, may you also find freedom to explore and break the mold when it comes to pairing wine and cheese. For a quick, easy wine and cheese thrill, hop on a flight! Select 3 wines and pick up a Cello Cheese Flight and write your own future.
Before you navigate a trip to the store, heres our official Cello Wine and Cheese Pairing Chart may it be your guide and your friend on your wine and cheese pairing journey.
Late Harvest Chardonnay Food Pairing
Late harvest Chardonnay is rich and sweet, and has higher sugar content than other types of Chardonnay wines. The best food parings for late harvest Chardonnay are different types of desserts. With characteristic aromas of citrus, honey, tropical fruit and apple, it is easy to pair with many delicious sweets.
Good pairings for Late harvest Chardonnay include:
- Anything sweet, creamy and fruity
Tips! When pairing wine with desserts, always choose a wine that is at least as sweet as the food – otherwise the wine will not taste good.
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Pinot Noir / Beaujolais And Gruyre Harvarti And Comte
Pinot Noir has notes of mushroom, vanilla, spices, cherry and raspberry. It’s complex flavor pairs well with a range of cheeses with sweet and nutty undertones.
Gruyere is a hard, cow’s milk cheese with nutty, slightly sweet, with musty notes.
Havarti is a cow’s milk, semi-soft cheese with sweet & acidic notes and is very smooth.
Comte is a hard, cow’s milk cheese that is sweet & salty with a fruity and nutty tang.
Does Blue Cheese Go With Champagne
There is no one answer to this question it depends on your personal preferences. Some people love the combination of blue cheese and champagne, while others find it to be a bit too strong. If youre not sure whether youll like it, why not try a small taste of each before deciding?
Blue cheeses can also be combined with a variety of alcoholic beverages such as brandy, beer, and coffee. A restrained blue like Cambazola and Chiriboga Blue will complement delicate rose and light-bodied white wines or beers. Blue cheeses have a sweeter and nutty base than base cheeses. When it comes to beer, I prefer to pair blue cheeses with dark beers that have roasted flavors. It makes sense that blues and bright hoppy beers have some resonance. These two truly amazing blues are produced in the United States that go above and beyond what were used to. My favorite drink is coffee or a drink that resembles coffee.
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What Cheese Pairs With Pinot Noir
The lighter notes of a Pinot Noir make it a versatile wine for pairing with cheese. Try pairing Pinot Noir with the nutty flavours of a medium-firm cheese like Gruyere or a hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. You can Also pair a bloomy Camembert cheese with Pinot Noir or a mild washed rind cheese like Fontina.
