Perfect pairings

Eating a great cheese can be a palate-altering experience that can become even more blissful when paired with a great wine.  But finding the perfect pairing’s not as easy as you may think. Sure, there are plenty of cheeses and wines that get along, but I can help you find those marriages made in heaven.

A great pairing happens when both the cheese and wine taste better together than they did on their own.  Maybe you started with a so-so wine, but when combined with the cheese, you can suddenly taste complexities and nuances you never thought you could coax out of that $10 bottle of vino.  Here’s how you do it:

Take a piece of cheese in your mouth, throw a splash of wine on top, and mash it all together. Wait a few seconds, swallow and note the finish. Things to look for -

• Power struggle.  A delicate cheese will get lost if paired with a hearty red wine. Think of where each falls in the spectrum of mild to strong and pair accordingly.
• Balance.  Sweet wines should be balanced with salty cheeses, and acidic wines work best with acidic (young) cheeses.
• Contrasting texture.  A bubbly wine might be exactly what you need to lift an ultra-buttery cheese.  For instance, a triple-crème cheese goes great with Champagne.

Try these summer time cheese and wine pairings:

• Humboldt Fog (California) – Fresh and tangy goat's milk tomme with a velvety brie-like rind. Pairs with dry and minerally Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
• Monte Enebro (Spain) - Nutty (hazelnut), spicy (white pepper) and distinctively goaty. Pairs with aged Ribera del Duero (with soft tannins).
• La Tur (Italy) - Barnyardy and buttery, mixed milk cheese. Pairs with Malvassia and Champagne.
• Ossau Iraty (France) - Nutty and round buttery flavors, sheep's milk cheese. Pairs with dry Sauvignon Blanc and fruity Beaujolais.

If you can’t remember all that, print this crib sheet out, head to your local cheese store, and shop like a seasoned fromager!

This post was developed with Restaurant Girl, Danyelle Freeman.

 

Comments

[Green Valley Las Vegas]

Perfect is right! I'm seeing more of these cheeses in wine tastings, and I must say that it has been a great pair.

Thank you for your suggestions! I will surely keep those in mind. :)

[zeina]

this is one of my favourite postings. it makes me want to experiment pairing wine and cheeses every day for the rest of my life. thank you for the inspiration