There are few things in this world that can beat a delicious wine paired with a perfect cheese! Wine and cheese have been served together for centuries. If you’re looking for an easy way to impress your guests, good-quality cheese with an excellent bottle of wine is a brilliant choice. However, pairing the two isn’t always simple. Read below for some suggestions from our wine team on how to pair cheeses with the right bottle of wine.
Brie/Triple Crème/d’Affinois
Though the mushroomy quality of some brie cheeses can go well with Pinot Noir, in general, the cheeses listed above, pair beautifully with sparkling wines. Because of this, it’s a great way to start your gathering! Champagne and sparkling wines are always festive and in style. Try adding a small dish of honey (preferably chestnut), dried cranberries, and Marcona almonds alongside the cheese and sparklers. You simply can’t go wrong!
Ruffino Prosecco: Don’t let the modest price fool you, this is a delicious sparkling wine!
Heidsieck Brut Monopole: A crowd-pleaser if there ever was one. Champagne anyone?
Cheddar
While ordinary grocery store cheddar cheese often gets a bad rap, well-aged, single-origin cheddars are amazing paired with bold, youthful red wines. Try with Napa Cabernets, Argentinian Malbec, Australian Shiraz, or young Bordeaux.
Chateau Macard Bordeaux Superior: Always dependable and affordable in the age of high-priced Bordeaux.
Catena Malbec: Catena wines are always delicious. This one is no exception and has the fruit to pair beautifully with a good cheddar.
Blue Cheese
This is a great cheese to end the meal with alongside a luscious sweet dessert wine. The wines of Sauternes are made from mostly Semillon and Sauvignon blanc grapes. The grapes are very late harvest and develop what is known as the “Noble Rot”. They are vinified into a very sweet and sublime, luscious golden wine, that will make someone who does not generally like blue cheese, LOVE IT.
Warre’s Port Late Bottled Vintage Port
Goat Cheese
One of the world’s greatest cheeses, Tomme de Chevre is a strong artisanal goat cheese made in the Savoie region of France. In general, goat cheese is a perfect match for Sauvignon Blanc. Look for the wines of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume from the Loire region of France. Both of these wines are 100% Sauvignon Blanc and will pair perfectly.
Ch. De Sancerre, Sancerre: This will be a new discovery for you if you’ve never had French Sauvignon Blanc. Well-balanced and delicious!
Parmigiana- Reggiano
This kingly cheese hails from the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy. It is a hard, unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese. It is generally aged for up to 36 months and has amazing complexity, salinity, and butteriness the longer it is aged. For this bold cheese, you need a bold counterpart in wine. It is often served at the end of a meal in Italy with powerful aged wines, though, powerful young wines can also work well. Try any of the following wines: Amarone, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, “Super Tuscans”, Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bolla Amarone Valpolicella: A traditional and affordable Amarone with prune, raisin and dark fruit flavors will enhance an aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Try this in lieu of dessert.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino: Full-bodied and tannic, yet, elegant in its own right, this wine is perfect for the salty, buttery flavors of the cheese.
Gruyère
Though in general, semi-hard to hard cheeses will do better with heartier reds, an Alsatian Riesling would be a perfect choice for this mild, nutty-tasting cheese. The Rieslings of Alsace, near the western border of France, are produced dry, unlike many New World Riesling which can be quite sweet.
Trimbach Riesling: A classic, dry riesling from Alsace France will thrive with this pairing.
