Pairing The Right Cheese With Wine

There are some foods that just taste better when combined together on your palette, like meat and potatoes, peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies, and more. Wine and cheese are another classic combination, and when brought together in the right way, they can enhance each other’s flavors.

The important part is choosing a wine and a cheese that mesh well together, rather than overpower each another. There are hundreds of different kinds of cheeses, made from the milk of everything from buffalos to yaks. Wine also offers a wide array of varieties to choose from, making the pairing process quite overwhelming. With just a little know-how, you can be more daring with your pairings. Online culinary courses can provide you with in-depth knowledge about cheese and wine, helping you to masterfully bring the two together.

Opt for white
When trying to make the choice between red and white wine, it’s usually a better idea to stick with white because it tends to go better with cheese. The lack of tannins, which are particularly tough on creamy cheeses, helps, as does the lively acidity that comes with many white varieties of vino. Rieslings and sauvignon blancs are popular choices.

If you do, however, go with red, look for light, low-tannin reds like Beaujolais or ones that have had enough time to age.

Pair light with light
Not all cheeses are made equal – some are lighter and some offer a heavier taste on the palette. Therefore, you should opt for wines that complement the richness or lightness of the cheese. If you have one that is richer than the other, it can overpower the flavors instead of enhancing them.

Choose a versatile cheese and wine
If you’re having trouble deciding on a cheese, stick with one that is the most versatile, like parmigiano-reggiano. It pairs especially well with both whites and reds, bubbles or no bubbles. Gouda is also a versatile option.

As for wine, you can’t go wrong with a riesling. Chances are, it will fare well when paired with a variety of cheeses.

Here are a few wine and cheeses that marry well together:

Brie and champagne: This pairing works well because the fizz of the champagne matches the luxury of a brie’s rich texture.

Stilton with ruby port: Stilton cheese offers a certain sharpness and creaminess. Therefore, it combines perfectly with this sweeter vino.

Cheddar and red Bordeaux: The sharpness of cheddar combines magically with the tobacco notes and gravelly texture of merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

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