Match Lighter Wines With Milder Cheeses
Some wines are lighter in flavor and mouthfeel, while others are bigger, bolder, and more intense. The same goes for cheese, which ranges from mild and milky to pungent and powerful depending on the style.
Generally, youll want to pair lighter-bodied red wines with milder, less intense cheeses and bigger, more flavorful reds with more intense cheeses.
If you pair a fuller-bodied red with a subtle tomme or buttery bloomy rind, the wine will likely drown out the cheese completely. Conversely, a very light red such as Gamay or Pinot Noir wont be able to stand up to a really punchy blue cheese or long-aged wheel with lots of flavor.
Try pairing light-bodied reds with subtler, less intense aged cheeses like the young Goudas and tommes from Boston Post Dairy earthy sheeps milk wheels from Vermont Shepherd and even some particularly savory, full-flavored bloomy rinds.
Never Serve Red Wine With Cheese And Other Nonsensical Wine And Food Pairings
Wine snack. Cheese, grapes, nuts, cheese crackers cookies, honeycombs with laying glass of red wine … and knife over dark texture background. Flat lay, space.
Wine geeks firmly believe that there is a wine that matches up with absolutely everything, with the possible exception of Cheerios. Other than that, they would have you drinking wine with foods that are absolutely all wrong together. In fact, many pairings have become clichés while others make no sense at all. Here are examples worth ignoring.
Dessert wine with chocolates on a wooden tray, Arcady Vineyard, Charlottesville, VA.
Red wine and chocolateDry red wines like Cabernets, Zinfandels, Burgundies and Bordeaux are by their very nature full of tannins, which wonderfully complement savory food. They do nothing, however, for sweet foods, which completely blunt those tannins appeal and vice versa. Chocolate desserts and candies are to be enjoyed on their own, and, after a savory meal with red wine, who really wants to drink more with dessert?
UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 27: Baked artichokes and mozzarella.
1955-Photo shows a waiter in a restaurant, holding plates and platters for … serving. On the plate is toast, and on the platters are champagne and caviar.
Bettmann Archive
PROVIDENCE, RI – NOVEMBER 26: The cheeseburger is pictured at New Rivers in Providence, RI on Nov. … 26, 2019.
Burrata & Pinot Grigio
When it comes to a burrata, Werlin says “pair with light wines such as pinot grigio or Austrian wine, grüner veltliner. The latter is a mouthful but surprisingly easy to find these days.” She adds that “the light high-acid white wines cut through the rich, creamy, delicious cheese to create a perfect balance.” You could even enjoy a glass with this Mediterranean burrata plate!
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Merlot And Garlic And Herb Cheese
The garlic and herb cheese has sharp and tangy flavors. When paired with the Merlot, which is a dry red wine that is medium to full-bodied, the cheese brings out notes of black cherry, plum, and black tea. The garlic and herb cheese flavors are more heavily emphasized because of the Merlots dry fruitiness.
White Wines Pairing Guidelines
Whites are generally considered a better company for a wide range of cheeses. Due to their natural qualities, white wines almost never can overpower cheese odor and taste, but complement them harmoniously.
Chardonnay Wine Pairings
Chardonnay is a dry white wine with rich creamy and nutty flavor, sometimes with apple or citrus hints. It is one of the most versatile wines and matches well both hard and soft cheeses, varying from Gruyere and Cheddar to Brie and Camembert.
Muscat Wine Pairings
Muscat is a sweet wine with lush fruitiness in its taste and a touch of honey. It pairs wonderfully with desserts and chocolate, fois gras and soufflés, as well as blue and cheddar cheeses.
Pinot Grigio Wine Pairings
This is an aromatic dry light white with a fruity bouquet of scents and an acid zest. Pinot Grigio food pairing is quite diverse, including Thai and Chinese dishes. It is ideal for soft cheeses with Mozzarella, Ricotta and Fontina among them.
Riesling Wine Pairings
Riesling is a noble classic light-bodied white wine. Its taste gets richer with age, revealing citrus, apricot and peach notes. The wine shines well with hard Gouda or Edam and soft Cotija or Mascarpone cheeses.
Sauvignon Blanc Wine Pairings
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Riesling And Parmigiano Reggiano
Riesling is a refreshing wine that has been growing in popularity over the last few years. It features crisp flavors of apples, apricots, peaches, and pears with high acidity to give it an optimal taste for any occasion.
Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese has a sharp, complex fruity or nutty taste with a strong savory flavor and a slightly gritty texture. Chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano should be cracked, not cut with a knife, to preserve the flavor.
This classic hard Italian cow’s milk cheese goes great with a sweet Riesling. The saltiness and sweetness play off each other to create this delicious taste sensation! You can also go for blue cheeses, gouda or feta.
Pair Intense Wine With Intense Cheese
While these cheese and wine pairings are only recommendations, the golden rule to remember is to pair intensely flavored wine with intensely flavored cheese.
This actually has more to do with some of the lighter wine and cheese flavors a strong wine/cheese mixed with a weak one will overtake the flavor. Intense flavored wine and cheeses balance each other out.
For example, light wines such as Riesling and Moscato shouldnt be paired with intense cheeses like sharp Cheddar. Stick to delicate alpine-style cheeses like Swiss.
Not sure which wines are intense and which are weak? Look at the ABV content. The higher the ABV content, the more intense the flavor.
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Wine With Hard Cheese
Hard cheeses include cheddar, Comté, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Manchego. Theyre the easiest type of cheese to pair with wine – a medium bodied red like a cabernet sauvignon or a rioja is probably going to be the most enjoyable pairing for most people but try the combination of cheddar and chardonnay
Best Cheeses To Pair With Red Wines
Want to unleash your inner sommelier? Use some of the best cheeses to pair with red wines next time you make a wine and cheese tasting menu!
Red wines are not exactly the normal pairing when it comes to cheese platters. Most people just assume white wines are the best cheese pairing option regardless of the cheeses that are on the platter. While a nice white wine can be a great choice for certain cheeses, it’s not always the best choice.
In fact, there are some cheeses out there that tend to pair equally well, if not even better, with red wine. According to cheese experts and sommeliers, these are the best cheeses to pair with red wines and which wines work best with them.
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Sauvignon Blanc And Monterey Jack Or French Goat Cheese
This cheese is known for its subtleness and needs to be paired with a wine that wont overwhelm it. Sauvignon Blanc is a light-bodied, dry and bright white wine that has citrus and grassy notes that complement the cheese. This wine also works well with firmer French goat cheese that has developed spicy flavors.
Four Best Cheeses To Pair With Red Wine
Are you planning to have a social get-together at your apartment in Wilmington? If you dont feel like doing a full dinner affair, it can be a lot of fun to serve just a wine and cheese course. However, being sure you’ve paired the right wine and cheese can make the difference between a successful event and an unsuccessful one. Weve put together a few ideas here for pairing cheeses with red wine.
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Classic Wine And Cheese Combinations Guidelines
Though there are no strict rules when matching the right wine with the right cheese, due to the strong flavors in certain cheeses and wines, there are a few guidelines.
- Match by intensity of flavors – Big, intense wines generally match well with cheeses that have strong flavor characteristics and light, fruitier wines generally match well with creamier, mellow cheeses.
- Pair hard cheeses with red wine.
- Pair soft, creamy cheeses with white wine.
A Few Final Cheese Pairing Considerations
Youre practically a pro at this point, but there are a few more things to consider when it comes to pairing wine and cheese. Before introducing the wine, try the cheese by itself to fully perceive its special characteristics. Remember to engage your senses and evaluate all aspects of the cheese its smell, texture, color, and taste. Is it sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or umami? How does it feel on the tongue?
Wine and cheese pairing is a skill that requires practice and study. But once you know the basics, you can have a lot of fun experimenting with what works .
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Best Snacks To Serve With Wine
By Brittany
Pairing food with drinks can be a lot of fun for your next party or date night in, and there are a lot of amazing snacks to serve with wine! So suds up those wine glasses and snack trays! Grab your favorite bottle. Then, uncork it and serve a tasty spread with some of the best snacks to serve with wine.
Best Cheese And Wine Pairings
Even though it is a centuries-old tradition, matching cheese and wine together can still be a challenging and intimidating task. If done correctly, a perfect match can be an exquisite experience. Every detail in making the pairing needs to be considered. While a wine or a cheese by itself may be spectacular, that does not necessarily mean that pairing them is a good idea. Most people have not had years of experience focusing on tasting many wine and cheese options and become familiar with the characteristics and qualities of each. Here are some ideas that will help guide you into creating successful pairings:
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Poisses Cheese Wine Pairing
Looking for a few Ãpoisses cheese wine pairing ideas? Youâre covered with a Lambrusco, Beaujolais, St. Laurent, or Barbera. Ãpoisses is a pasty, almost liquidy cheese thatâs made from raw cowâs milk. Due to its soft consistency, it lets off a strong smell that makes it a better fit for specific wines.
Lambrusco works well because of its abundant fruit flavors, like mandarin orange, watermelon, and cherry. This sparkling red wine has lower wine alcohol content and offers sensory relief from this intense cheese.
Beaujolais and Barbera both have prominent red fruit tastes, like cranberry, raspberry, currant, and strawberry. With sweet fruit flavors front and center, your palate will be refreshed between bites of Ãpoissesâ strong taste.
If you want a surefire fit, St. Laurent is a great selection. This dry red wine is similar to Pinot Noir, offering cherry, anise, and blackberry elements. Similarly to the other wines, a strong fruit base combined with smoky and spicy undertones cuts through the thick, pasty presence of Ãpoisses.
Pair Wine And Cheese From The Same Place
Wine is made all over the world, so its no surprise that wine made in certain locations should be paired with cheese from the same area.
Even in the case of alpine cheeses, you should choose cheese from the specific region the wine comes from.
There are a few reasons for this rule. These wines date back to many generations. Historically, these wines were always paired with native cheeses.
For example, Sauvignon blanc and goat cheese are great pairings. Both are from Loire Valley, France. The same thing goes for Garnacha and Manchego both are from La Mancha, Spain.
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Best Wine And Cheese Pairings
While thereâs no single wine that works great for all cheeses, itâs difficult to go wrong with Champagne, Pinot Grigio, or Merlot. Cheeses range from tart and tangy to sweet and creamy, so itâs important to choose a wine that matches.
Champagne has nearly universal appeal for cheese pairing because itâs a low acid wine and comes with neutral flavors. This creates room on the palate for the cheese selection to shine through. When both the drink and food are too salty or rich, it overwhelms the palate and makes flavors difficult to discern.
Pinot Grigio is another white wine with prominent pear, honeysuckle, apricot, and green apple tastes. The tartness of these flavors is a counterpoint to the soft creaminess of many cheeses.
Additionally, Merlot is a crowd favorite and provides cherry, chocolate, and berry flavors. This combination of sweet, indulgent tastes offers a marvelous counterpoint for the sharp, sometimes spicy character of cheese.
Wine And Cheese Pairing: 7 Tips For Marrying Both
Wine is still one of the most popular alcoholic beverages and there are plenty of wine connoisseurs out there. By 2022, the volume of wine sold is expected to rise to 281 million cases. Keep reading to learn more and all about wine and cheese pairing!
Wine is one of the most cherished drinks because it can be enjoyed at every occasion, there are many wine varieties available, and wine tastes delicious with food. One of the most classic wine and food pairings is wine and cheese.
Are you interested in trying the perfect wine and cheese pairing? You can enjoy wine and cheese at home! Here are 7 tips on pairing wine and cheese.
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What To Pair With Dry White Wine
If you prefer your white wine on the dry side, there are many kinds of cheese that taste great with bitter white wine.
Sauvignon blanc is one of the most famous white wines and can also be paired with a variety of cheeses. Common favorites include Monterey Jack, Havarti, Muenster, and Swiss.
Because of its complex flavor, Chardonnay is a rival of Sauvignon blanc. This also makes it a versatile cheese for wine pairings enjoy a glass of Chardonnay with either Asiago, Brie, or butterkäse cheese.
If youre enjoying a dry Riesling, you also have a large variety of cheese pairings. But this wine especially tastes great with Colby cheese and even blue cheese. Sugarland Cellars has excellent wines that are similar to a Riesling.
Why You Should Always Pair Cheese With White Wine Not Red
When we think of a wine and cheese party we automatically think of red wine, but in fact white wine is actually a much better partner for many types of cheese. Read on to find out more about perfect cheese and wine pairings.
Admittedly, for most people red wine is the go-to partner for cheese. However, the issue with red wine, especially a full-bodied red, is that it can overpower all but the most robust of cheeses. White wine, fortified wines and lighter red wines are often a much better match.
What about Port and Stilton?
You might rightly point out that Port is a red wine and has long been considered the ideal wine with Stilton, an English blue veined cheese. The reason that Port pairs so well with blue cheese is because it is sweet and fortified. It is not because it is red. The sweetness provides a perfect foil for the tangy saltiness of blue cheese.
As an alternative to Port, try blue veined cheeses with other sweet wines such as Sauternes, Tokaji, Icewine as well as any German or Austrian late harvest wine.
Chardonnay with Creamy Camembert and Brie Style Cheeses
Champagne, Prosecco or any good quality New World sparkling wine are other great options with Creamy cheese.
Sauvignon Blanc and Goat Cheese
Chenin Blanc, dry Riesling or Semillon are other good alternatives to Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese.
Gewürztraminer with Stinky Cheese
Red Wines with Strong, Firm Cheese
Madeira and Sheep Cheese
Wine and Cheese: Perfection vs. Practicality
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What Is The Ideal Temperature For Red Wine
So its actually a myth that red wine should be served at room temperature. Ideally, if you can, it should be stored in a cool, dry place at a temperature of 60-68 degrees. Some say to serve it even cooler. I like to store mine in the fridge and then pull it out about two hours before I have guests over. By then, its usually at the perfect temperature.
However, its also a personal preference, and even though Im not one to break rules, sometimes I break this one, since most people seem to prefer their red wine at room temperature.
Soft Cheeses Are Also Perfect With Sparkling Wine
Sparkling wine, such as Champagne and prosecco, always calls for a celebration. Dont celebrate without a snack! Since these wines have lots of carbonation and high acidity, youll want to choose a softer cheese.
Great examples include Cremont, Camembert, and Époisses de Bourgogne. Prosecco and Parmesan are also one of the most famous pairings.
The type of sparkling wine you drink will also affect the cheese you eat. Sweeter sparkling wines taste best with a Gorgonzola-style blue cheese.
For dry sparkling wines, the creamier the better. The acidity cuts down on the creaminess. Look for Brillat-Savarin, Mt. Tam, Pierre-Robert, and Saint Andre.
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The Best Red Wines To Pair With Cheeses Comes Down To Flavor Profiles
Everyone has a favorite red wine they absolutely love to drink and bring to parties. Of course, it’s essential to know which cheeses pair up best with your favorite wines. If you’re a pinot noir lover, you may want to stop and grab a wheel of gruyere. Gruyere works best with pinot noir because the wine has berry undertones and gruyere is a bit more nutty. Like we all love berries and nuts mixed together, these two cheeses are a perfect pair . Another wine and cheese pairing that gives off the berries and nuts flavors are malbec and gouda.
Cabernet sauvignon and aged cheddar are also great wine and cheese pairing for a dinner party or even a romantic night in. Cabernet sauvignon is a dryer wine, which is why it’s great with aged cheddar a fattier, more bodied cheese. The flavor of the cheddar works well to give the cabernet sauvignon a bit more umph. Tempranillo and idiazabal are both a Spanish wine and a Spanish cheese, which is a great way to open your tastes buds for texture and flair.
Next time you go to your girlfriend’s charcuterie party, impress them with one of these couples!
