Cheese and wine has been a fixture for centuries, and there is a reason it stuck. Done well, each one makes the other better. Done badly, one flattens the other and you notice immediately.
It is not complicated, but it does have rules worth knowing. Here they are, whether you are new to it or not.
The Basics
Before you buy anything, understand what you are matching. Flavour, texture and intensity are the three things that decide whether a pairing works.
In the wine:
- Body. Light, medium or full. This matters more than anything else.
- Acidity. High acidity cuts through fat and resets your palate, which is why it works against creamy cheese.
- Tannin. Mostly a red wine question. Tannin binds to fat and protein, which is what makes a firm red work with a hard cheese.
In the cheese:
- Texture. Soft and creamy through to hard and crumbly.
- Flavour. Sharp, mild, buttery, nutty or pungent.
- Age. Same as wine. Young cheese is soft and mild, aged cheese is harder and far more intense.
Five Pairings That Work
There are three approaches. Match like with like. Set opposites against each other. Or pair by region, on the principle that what grows together goes together.
1. Soft young cheese with light whites
Mozzarella, ricotta and fresh goat's cheese want a light-bodied white with good acidity. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio will cut the creaminess and leave your palate clean.
Nothing here is intense, so it suits warm weather or a starter.
2. Soft rind cheese with white or sparkling
Brie, Camembert, anything creamy inside with a mushroomy note. Sparkling works because the bubbles scrub the fat off your palate. So does an aromatic white.
Alexandria Premium Cuvée White handles this well. A good place to start if you are new to the whole thing.
3. Semi-hard cheese with medium reds
Gouda and Cheddar firm up and get nuttier with age. A medium-bodied red with soft tannin, a Merlot for instance, balances that without steamrollering it.
4. Hard aged cheese with full reds
Aged Gouda and Parmigiano are intense enough to flatten most wines. You need something that can meet them.
Barovo Red is the one from our range. Dark fruit and firm tannin, and it will not disappear underneath the cheese.
5. Blue cheese with genuinely sweet wine
Blue cheese is salty and pungent and divides opinion. Gorgonzola and Roquefort want real sweetness against them, which is the classic contrast pairing.
A Sauternes or a late-harvest style is what you want. We do not currently carry a dessert wine, so this is one to pick up elsewhere.
Hosting A Tasting
- Experiment. The above is a starting point, not a rulebook. Try an aromatic white against a creamy blue and see what happens.
- Variety. Cover different textures and intensities. At least one from each category above.
- Order. Lightest first, strongest last, or the early pairings get flattened.
- Serving. Cheese at room temperature, out of the fridge an hour beforehand. Reds slightly cool, whites chilled.
- On the side. Bread or plain crackers to clear the palate, plus nuts, fresh fruit and honey.
It takes some trial and error, which is the enjoyable part. The whites and reds pages list grapes and style for each bottle, which makes the matching considerably easier.