Cheese and wine have been around for time immemorial, shared across the world, a part of our daily rituals. Together they’re a match made in heaven if you know which to pair together. To achieve the perfect match, you must take into account the flavor of both. As when pairing wine with other food types, pairing two complex flavors becomes confusing. In this case, the wine and the cheese will compete for dominance on the palate.
Our infographic makes matching easy. Here are some more pointers:
Generally speaking, stinky cheeses pair well with sweeter wines such as sherry and port. A salty, pungent cheese like stilton pairs beautifully with the sweet full-bodied flavor of port wine and Sauternes and Roquefort will dance on your tongue. A red wine, like Merlot, also makes a good choice
Off-dry wines, like Riesling and Zinfandel pair well with salty cheeses like feta and cheddar.
A soft creamy round of camembert or brie needs a sparkle to cut through the high-fat content so these cheeses will complement champagne or sparkling wine.
For red wine drinkers, a sharp aged cheddar matches well with a Cabernet Sauvignon. The dry wine cuts through the fat and the strong flavors complement rather than compete with one another. As cheese ages, its fat content and flavor increase making it the perfect match for red wine.
Goat’s cheese has a rather subtle flavor that goes well with Sauvignon Blanc or even a rosé. Generally, nutty cheeses, like Gruyere are fairly safe and will match with almost any wine on the table.
Time to prepare your next cheese and wine party!