It’s National Wine and Cheese Day today and to celebrate we’ll give you a few tips to enhance your experience. Everyone loves the idea of wine and cheese, but finding the perfect pairing can be difficult with the cheeseboard starting to look somewhat like a minefield!
Cheese can be strong and pungent, high in fat, salty and mouth-coating. This diversity adds to the delicious factor, but not all wines will pair well with all cheeses. Runny cheeses can sometimes be tough for wine. White and rosé wines can be the safest when pairing with cheese. In many cases, what grows together goes together such as Italian reds with harder Italian cheeses and Loire whites with some of the fantastic goat cheese from that region.
Here are a few styles of cheese with some suggested wine pairings to help you navigate the wonderful world of wine and cheese:
Creamy
These high fat cheeses need acidity to cut through their creaminess. White wines such as Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc with their fresh mouthwatering acidity have an affinity for creamy cheeses. However, some reds with high acidity such as a Beaujolais, Pinot Noir or mature Chianti can also make the cut.
Some suggested pairings would be:
Jackson Sauvignon Blanc with goat cheese, white Burgundy with Brie, a mature Chianti with Buffalo mozzarella or a dry Rosé with Camembert.
Hard
The high salt content and texture can prove to be more red wine friendly. Be careful how salty though as if it gets overboard, it can start to then accentuate the tannin in a red wine. Medium bodied Rioja works beautifully with Manchego. Big Amarone with the big flavours of a Parmigiana-Reggiano is a dessert of itself.
For a white wine option, lightly oaked Chardonnay, like the Buehler Chardonnay with a buttery Cheddar can be a scrumptious pairing.
Bleu
Salty blue cheeses can pair fabulously with sweet wines. Sweet and salt is a perfect synchronistic pairing., think of Hawaiian pizza or salted caramel. Try Stilton with Port, Roquefort with Sauternes or a medium-sweet Riesling like Bäumer with a creamy bleu.
So grab your favourite wine this weekend, smile and say “cheese please!”