Wine and cheese are two of life’s great culinary pleasures, and finding the perfect match can be a delicious endeavor. As with any wine and food pairing, there are a number of considerations, such as texture, acidity, fat and tannin. Rather than complicating the topic with exotic matches like Garrotxa and Meursault, we’ve broken the art of wine and cheese pairing down, so you can create your own.
White wine is close to being the perfect match for cheese – and generally pairs better than red wine. The freshness of the white wine, the perfumed notes and the combination of sweetness and acidity suit many cheeses.
All you need to know about Washed Rind Cheese
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Fontina: Rules dictate when cows can be milked for this cheese, which ensures enough creaminess to balance its funk. [/custom-columns] [custom-columns]
Epoisses: Despite a funky odor, this soft, rich cheese scoops like warm butter and has a delicious, tangy flavor. [/custom-columns] [custom-columns]
Reblochon: This raw-milk cheese has to be aged in cellars or caves in France’s Savoy Mountains. This provides a grassy, herbal tinge that complements its richness. [/custom-columns] [custom-columns]
Taleggio: One of the milder washed-rind cheeses. It has a dense, sticky texture, gentle yeast and grassy notes.
Other washed-rind cheeses: Langres, Chaume, Livarot, Munster, Vacherin de Mont d’Or
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- Dry, traditional-method sparkling wines (brut Franciacorta, brut California bottlings)
- Dry and off-dry, unoaked white wines (Gewurztaminer and Pinot Gris from Alsace, Chenin Blanc from the Loire)
- Dry, structured whites (Marsanne and Roussanne, mature Hunter Valley Semillon, Riesling from Clare or Eden Valley, Australia) for ripe, pungent cheese
- Beaujolais Villages
- Pinot Noir
- Poulsard or Trousseau from Jura
- Munster and off-dry Gewürztraminer
- Reblochon and Chignin Blanc
- Epoisses and Chambertin (said to be a favorite of Napoleon)
All you need to know about Semi-Soft Cheese
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Gruyère: Often seen melted atop French onion soup, it’s delicate, and offers notes of hazelnut and brown butter. [/custom-columns] [custom-columns]
Gouda: This offers mild, nutty flavors with a bit of tang, along with a rich, dense texture. [/custom-columns] [custom-columns]
Havarti: Creamy and buttery, it gets sharper and earthier with a bit of age.
Other semi-soft cheeses: Provolone, Edam, Morbier, Mimolette
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- Dry, white wines with a touch of oak (Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rioja)
- Condrieu
- Gutsy, rustic, crunchy wines without much oak (Côtes de Rhône, Corbières, St-Chinian, Chianti, Mencía, young Bordeaux blends)
- Gruyère and Vin Jaune de Savoie
This is HOW TO PAIR WHITE WINE with just about ANYTHING!
FAQ
Is it OK to eat cheese with wine?
Can you drink white wine with charcuterie?
Is red or white wine better with cheese plate?
Are white wines good for cheese?
And while big, tannic reds are perfect fits for some cheeses ( sharp Cheddar or pungent blue cheese, for example), they don’t work and play well with others. White wines, blissfully free of those oppressive tannins, are far more cheese-friendly. Our discussion of food-friendly white wines starts with sauvignon blanc (soh-vinn-yohn blonk).
What can be used as a substitute for white wine vinegar?
Champagne vinegar is another mild wine-based vinegar. Fermented rice and has a sweet and mild flavor. It is mainly used in Asian cuisine. Apple cider vinegar made from fermented apples, apple cider vinegar. All being a great option.
Do cheeses go well with wine?
You just have to have a few tips up your sleeve. Wines and cheeses from the same region usually go well together. Look for textural contrasts between cheese and wine: Fresh, lighter cheeses go well with crisp, lighter wines; heavier, dense cheeses like bigger and bolder wines. Always taste the wine before the cheese for optimum effect.
How do you pair wine and cheese?
Putting this all together, we arrive at the first rule of wine and cheese pairing: Pair by flavor intensity, and consider intensity’s correlation with age. But age definitely isn’t the only factor to keep in mind. A cheese’s texture, saltiness, and pungency also influence a wine pairing, as do the wine’s structure and sweetness.