Our Suggestions for Wine & Cheese Pairings

April 21st, 2008

Wine and cheese is a match made in heaven because of the natural balance of the salt in the cheese and the fruit flavor and sweet of the wine. Planning a wine and cheese tasting is a fun way to interact with your friends and learn which matches work best. Assign one cheese type and the complimentary wine to each person or couple you invite to the party and compare your favorite combinations. Here are a few suggestions.

Triple-creme cheeses:
Sparkling wines; light to medium reds made with Gamay or Pinot Noir; and whites made with Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, or Riesling.

Rind-coated soft cheeses such as Camembert and Brie:
Light to medium reds such as Cote du Rhone, Barbera, or Chianti Classico

Epoisses, Livarots, and Munsters:
Medium-bodied to sweeter whites: Rieslings, Muscats, Viogniers, Tokays and Gewürztraminers. Some reds can also work well such as Amarones, Nebbiolos, and Grenache blends.

Firmer pressed cow milk cheeses such as Tomme de Savoie, Caerphilly,
Cheddar and Wildmannli:
Medium to full-bodied white wines made with either Tokay, Chardonnay, Riesling, or Viognier; or you might try light to medium reds made with either Gamay, Pinot Noir, Tannat, or Syrah. Sweeter wines can work beautifully with these too.

Hard cooked and pressed cow milk cheeses such as Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano:
Sparkling wines such as Prosecco or Cava or various reds of light to full-bodied types such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, or Sagrantino di Montefalco. We also find successful matches with some of the lighter whites such as Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco or Sauvignon Blanc.

Dutch Cow’s-Milk Cheeses like Gouda:
A good Belgian beer works really well or a rich red wine–especially Amarone or Ripasso.

Blue Cheeses:
Ports, Madeiras, Sauternes and sherries made with Moscatel or Ximenez generally work very well. Stilton and Tawny Port is a classic pairing. If you don’t care for any kind of “sweet” wine you can try Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or a Gamay wine if a red wine is preferred. Or you would like a white try a rich California Chardonnay.

Of course whatever cheeses you choose they will make a beautiful presentation served on one of our Italian Ceramic or olive wood trays. For a full selection visit www.poggibonsigifts.com.

Entry Filed under: Cooking & Entertaining