Chardonnay And Mild Cheddar Colby Jack Or Triple Cream Cheese
Chardonnay is a dry, medium-bodied white wine with apple and pear notes, which makes it fruity and crisp. These features help enhance the characteristics of either of these mild cheeses, particularly the creaminess and the sweetness. Pungent washed-rind cows cheeses will lose its stinky characteristics when paired with Chardonnay, but you can also opt for milder, traditional triple cream cheese to avoid the smell.
Cabernet Sauvignon And Aged Cheddar
Why it works: A bigger, bolder cheese needs a wine that can lift it up, spin it around, and not get winded in the process. An aged Cheddar has a fattiness that matches up wonderfully with the mouth-drying tannins youll find in many Cabernet Sauvignons. Plus, their respectively bold flavors will match, instead of one drowning out the other.
Also try:Carménère and Smoked Gouda, Montepulciano and Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Nero dAvola and Asiago.
In Case You Needed Another Reason To Drink Champagne Wine With Enchiladas
Okay, I already emphasized that Champagne or any traditional-style sparkling wine is a great pairing for enchiladas. I always choose papitas as a side with my New Mexican food if the restaurant offers them. Its not quite as common of an offering as Id like it to be. Well, if you ever get papitas as a side, champagne is just that much better. Wine Enthusiast says sparkling wine is a good pairing with eggs and potatoes due to champagnes infamous marriage with anything fried. They say it in a breakfast sense, but if youre getting enchiladas with an egg and potatoes, youve got one of the best pairings ever.
Cheers!
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More Essential Pairing Pointers
But age definitely isn’t the only factor to keep in mind. A cheese’s texture, saltiness, and pungency also influence a wine pairing, as do the wine’s structure and sweetness. Here are a few other notes to keep in mind:
Watch those tannins. Tannic red wines are terrific with rich, aged cheeses, because their tannins literally bind to protein and fat, cleaning your palate after each bite. But the same process makes tannic wines feel far too astringent with young cheeses they tie up what little fat’s available, leaving you with a chalky sensation and a metallic aftertaste. If you must serve red wine with young cheeses, reach for one low in tannin, like Beaujolais or sparkling red Lambrusco.
Salt loves sweet. Sweet wines beautifully balance the saltiest cheeses like hard Grana, blue cheese, aged Gouda, or feta. The salt in the cheese heightens the perception of sweetness in the wine, so a wine that’s already headed in that direction makes for a breezy pairing.
Cheese loves fruit and nuts. There’s a reason we adorn cheese plates with fresh fruits, dried fruits, and nuts. The juicy, tangy fruits go well with young cheeses like Brie. Sweet dried fruits are wonderful with salty cheeses like Stilton. Buttery, bitter nuts are tasty with rich Cheddar. From fruity to sweet to nutty to tannic, these same pairing principles apply to wines, too. When in doubt, try to imagine which food would pair best with a cheese, and let that guide you toward a wine.
Pairing Cheese With Syrah/shiraz
With certain superior genetic qualities, Syrah grape variety produces some of the best Rhone wines. Syrah red wines are known for their unique and dominant flavors like smoke, black cherries, and roasted pepper.
The strong berry and tart flavors of this red wine blend well with the somewhat acidic and pungent goats milk cheese. Farmhouse Cheddar, Edam, Gouda, and Alpine-style cheese are some other cheese varieties that enhance the flavor of Syrah wines.
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Syrah/shiraz And Aged Cheese
Aged cheese has intense savory flavors. Wines that are paired with them need to be equally intense and should also be rather dry. Syrah holds up well in this pairing because it is dry, medium to full-bodied, and has dark fruit and herb flavors. A Shiraz with tobacco notes works particularly well with smoked cheeses.
Tips For A Successful Cheese Board For Wine Tasting:
- While I often enjoy adding honey, jam or some other type of spread to a good cheese platter, for a party with an active wine tasting, I like to keep my snack board to strictly finger foods. i.e. things you can pick up and pop into your mouth with one hand . No honey that needs spreading. No pistachios that need cracking.
- When I make a cheese platter for wine, I love a combination of both savory and sweet snacks. Some people have a sweet tooth while enjoying wine, and others have a savory tooth. See also my New Years Eve finger foods board.
- Just like the combo of sweet and savory, I also like a balance of crunchy and soft. I like a variety of crackers for crunch factor, and then soft fruit like grapes and strawberries.
- If youre not a wine lover or have a guest that doesnt prefer it, offer them a cocktail or mocktail made with my rosemary simple syrup. It will pair really well with everything on this board.
- This board is even great as part of a brunch buffet! I have a whole post of brunch ideas to round out the rest of your spread, as well. Dont forget to try your hand at baking bacon.
Enjoy some wine and cheese, and be sure to connect with Black Creek Cheese on , and .
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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.
Delicious Red Wine And Cheese Pairings
Cheese is the best accompaniment for red wines, but the success of this combination depends on how well the flavors of this two compliment each other.
Wine and cheese is a combination as old as bread and butter. Both wine and cheese have a very long history, and although wine connoisseurs claim some standard wine and cheese combinations, pairing cheese with wine still remains purely personal. Both are produced by processing two natural products, grapes, and milk, respectively. Each grape variety produces a unique wine that has its own characteristic color, flavor, strength, and aroma.
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Ros Wine With Goats Cheese
Cheese with rosé wine pairings are even less commonplace than those combining white wine and cheese, but a dry Provence rosé such as Caves dEsclans Whispering Angel 2020 is ideal paired with a rindless soft goats cheese that brings out the wines fresh and fruity flavours and pleasant minerality. When rolled in dried herbs, the cheese will also complement the herbal notes of this wine.
The Best Wine Pairings With Cheese Fondue Raclette And Tartiflette
Even if you’re not currently on the slopes you might want to take your chance to make one of the great ski-food classics, fondue, raclette or tartiflette.
All, of course, involve melted cheese which isnt the easiest thing to match with wine, especially reds. In general Id go for crisp or aromatic white wines of the kind that are popular in the regions from which these dishes originate and avoid full-bodied, tannic reds. Here are a few suggestions:
Cheese fondue
The best choice I’ve found is a crisp dry white such as Swiss Chasselas or a Chignin or Roussette from Savoie. These wines are relatively hard to come by, however, but other crisp dry whites such as Muscadet, Chablis, dry Alsace or Austrian riesling or a young grüner veltliner would also be fine. If you fancy a red make it a fresh, light-bodied one like a young red burgundy, gamay or Dole. Or a poulsard from the Jura
And here’s my favourite fondue recipe!
Raclette
Here potatoes and sometimes cold meats are involved which mitigates the intense cheesiness. Id still go for a similar crisp white as the above but it could take a slightly more robust red like a gamay from the Auvergne or even an inexpensive Côtes du Rhône.
Tartiflette
Tartiflette is like a super-charged gratin dauphinoise, with added bacon and Reblochon cheese. It originally comes from Savoie so again those wines I recommend with cheese fondue will work well. You could also try a savagnin or a Coteaux du Jura.
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Wine And Cheese Pairing Guide
Wine and cheese pairing possibilities are endless. To simplify the strategy, cheeses can be divided into six categories.
Soft and rindless, these can be made with cow, goat or sheep milk. Theyre not aged and have a mild, slightly tangy flavor. While a log of bright white goat cheese is iconic, the category also includes farmers cheese, ricotta and others that come in tubs.
These are named for the bloom of white mold on the outside. They tend to be the richest and creamiest type of cheese, with a soft, spreadable texture. The rind is edible, and it has a stronger, funkier flavor than the interior.
A bath in brine, beer or wine produces a distinct orange rind. Theyre rich and creamy, and they can be soft or semi-soft in texture. Theyre funkier than bloomy cheeses, with gamy, often pleasantly pungent notes.
Theyre not spreadable, nor do they break in shards like a hard cheese. They tend to be creamy and fairly mild in flavor. Many are excellent to melt and perfect to slice. Some cheeses like Gouda are semi-soft in younger styles, while when aged, their texture turns hard.
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The product of aging, these are quite firm and break into crumbles or shards. They tend to have nutty and complex savory notes. Some are fairly pungent and salty.
Cabernet Sauvignon Or Malbec With Hard Cheese
If a wine has big flavours, high alcohol levels and ripe tannins, youll want a cheese that has the boldness to match. Put simply, red wine and cheese pairings should be like for like in terms of flavour. Hard, salty cheeses that intensify with age, such as aged cheddar or Parmesan, will work well with intensely flavoured wines a such as Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 or a malbec such as Terrazas de los Andes Malbec 2018.
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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.
Practice Your Wine And Cheese Pairing
The best way to learn which types of cheese and wine pairings work well is to get experience. You can practice at home using the tips and combinations we have given you above, but you can also go for cheese and wine pairings at wine farms or restaurants.If you are looking for great wines for your cheese and wine pairing, you can shop Stettyn Wines online and find a range of delicious white, red, and sparkling wines!
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Colby & Cabernet Sauvignon
Colby can be a cheese that’s hard to come by, so snag this Deer Creek The Robin Colby to pair with your bottle of cab. According to Wisconsin Cheese, this was named after the state bird “which returns each spring as a sign of the end of winter, this classic, handcrafted Wisconsin Original Colby has a firm, yet open and curdy body combined with a fresh buttery taste and a pleasantly salty finish.”
Red Blend And Sharp Or Smoked Cheese
Wines made from a blend of red grapes are usually medium-bodied and well-balanced. With their fruit, herb, and spice flavors, red blends work well with smoked or sharp cheese because all the flavors become enhanced significantly. Red blend wine tends to work well with all meal options because it is considered well-rounded.
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Cheeses That Go With Wine:
Salty, hard cheeses pair well with wine, and so do soft cheeses. Again, an improptu wine and cheese party should be easy to prepare, so dont feel like you need to serve all of these.
- Gouda the perfect pairing with Cabernet
- Aged cheddar lovely with Malbec
- Manchego try this one with a sparkly wine. Also, this is a sheep milk based cheese.
- Ricotta goes well with Riesling
- Parmesan delicious with a bubbly Prosecco
- Gruyere a love fest with Chardonnay
- Brie goes well with many wines, but my favorite is Merlot
- Bleu cheese pairs well with a Pinot Noir or a sweet Port
- Feta a bright red or dry Rose, slightly sweet wine is perfect with salty feta
If youre looking for beautiful round block cheeses to fancy it up, I highly recommend Emmi Cheese!
VEGAN or DAIRY FREE OPTIONS Can we Say YAY for real food based vegan cheese?! Yes we can! These are my favorite vegan cheese to serve on cheese boards.
- Daiya Block Cheese
- Or if youre looking for a more cheddar like Vegan/Paleo cheese dip, try my vegan queso. You can definitely fancy it up to make it wine and cheese party worthy. .
Tip for BUILDING A CHARCUTERIE or CHEESE BOARD Focus on colors and combos. Ex: Orange and red . Greens and yellows . Throw it all together now and garnish with a herbs and flowers.
Need to gave this all organized for you?! I gotcha covered. Printable FESTIVE CHEESE BOARD RECIPE and INGREDIENTS BELOW! Yeaaas!
Keywords: cheese boards, appetizers, cheese and wine, healthy, holiday entertaining
Six Cheeses That Pair With Pretty Much Every Wine
Wine is awesome. So is cheese. When you put an awesome wine and an awesome cheese together, it should be even better than the two things were separately, right? Also duh?
Sadly, not always. Look, no one is going to tell you to not drink your favorite wine with your favorite cheese. But when it comes to wine and cheese pairings, deliciousness is dependent on balance.
Typically, the most adaptable cheeses are hard cheeses, because they stand up better to bigger-bodied wines. If your go-to wine is a bold red and your favorite cheese is a buttery Brie, the weight of that Cabernet pour will slap that pudgy Brie across the face. Meanwhile, if your favorite bottle is a bright white, youll have to mind your rinds pair it with the wrong cheese and that brilliant acidity can turn harsh or bile-y.
drop!
Never fear, though! We did some tasting and drinking and came up with six cheeses of all textures that pair with any wine.
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Fresh And Soft Cheeses
Fresh and soft cheeses love crisp whites, dry rosés, sparkling wines, dry aperitif wines, and light-bodied reds with low tannins. Wines with apple, berry, stone fruit, tropical, melon, or citrus flavors work best. Avoid big, tannic red wines like Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, and Bordeaux blends.
Cheeses: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Burrata, Chèvre, Feta, Halloumi, Brie, Camembert, Brillat-Savarin, Crottin, BûcheronPair with: Riesling , Gewürztraminer, Moscato, Champagne, Cava, Chablis, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, unoaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Provençal rosé, Beaujolais, Lambrusco, White Port, Fino sherry
No 1 Kiri Cream Cheese
Picture from Bel Japon
Familiar kiri Cream Cheese is standard cheese to go with any wine. It has a little sweet and smooth taste just like cream, and it especially goes with fresh sparkling wine and white wine.
This goes well with fruits, nuts and jam and you can enjoy just like desserts.
Average price: 352 yen per 18g×10 pieces
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Extra Sharp Cheddar & Merlot
According to Wisconsin Cheese, red wines pair better with stronger, aged cheeses, like the extra sharp cheddar. The tannins in the red wine pair well with “full-bodied, flavorful cheeses” and can serve as a palate cleanser as you sip between each bite. “Keep in mind that red wine often doesn’t pair well with fresh cheese, as the tannins and low acidity can cause fresh cheeses to taste chalky,” they recommend. So as for an extra sharp cheddar, like their Black Creek®, it will pair well with a medium-bodied Merlot.
Can You Eat Parmesan Cheese By Itself
Parmesan doesnt need any dressing or accompaniment! You can eat it right out of the packaging. Italians will tell you, you should always eat the hardened outer layer. This part of the cheese often gets left behind but Parmigiano -Reggiano cheese producers say its just as nutritional as the inside.
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