Cheese and wine are a made in heaven match. However, it is complex to pair the two. Your favorite wine should pair with a great cheeseboard. It becomes fine art, especially if you are organizing get-togethers or festive parties. So, do you pair Cheddar with white or red wine, sweet or dry? Should one start with wine or cheese? Which wine will go perfect with goat cheese? Do you wish to pair wine and cheese like a pro? This article aims at clarifying all your cheese and wine doubts. Then, keep reading for the best cheese and wine pairings. Also, find some fantastic add-ons for your next party. 

Why Are Wine And Cheese Such A Popular Pairing?

The cheese and wine trend started in France in the middle ages. Farmers who were experts in making wine also made cheese. So, it was inevitably served together. It also explains why some popular cheese and wine combinations originate from the same area.

For instance, Beaujolais wine is from the Brie region of France. This place was also known for cheese production. Boujulois and brie make a famous wine and cheese pairing to this very day! No major get-togethers go without this trend in many countries. 

How To Pair Wine And Cheese? Three Major Rules

Cheese Or Wine?

It depends on you whether you pick the cheese or the wine first. If you’ve got some go-to cheese styles in your mind, start looking for a suitable wine. Also, if you have a favorite wine bottle in hand, you need to begin finding the right cheese. But the wine and cheese combo adds a spark to your parties for sure! 

Finding A Balance

Next, make sure that there’s a balance between the cheese style and wine type. One must not ignore the acidity, tannins, and sweetness levels of both. For instance, light wine like chardonnay or merlot goes in perfect pairing with strong cheese. So, you can pick Italian asiago, cheddar, or gruyere. 

If you pick full-bodied wines, they go well with aged, hard cheese such as parmesan, cheddar, or pecorino. On the other hand, sparkling and white wine pair with soft and semi-soft cheese. So, you can pick chevre, brie, and camembert. 

Present Both Wines

Ensure that you provide both white and red wine bottles to your guests. Even at parties, people have different preferences for various kinds of cheeses. For instance, some may like aged cheddar with cabernet sauvignon. Others may prefer pairing this cheese with white Burgundy. 

Ten Tips For Your Next Wine And Cheese Party

Wine with blue cheese

Classic wine pairings with blue cheeses are sweet. For instance, port with stilton and Sauternes with Roquefort is perfect. If you wish to try something unique at parties, go for sweet sherry or sloe gin. Even blue cheese and stout work well together! 

Wine with soft cheese

Any cheese from semi-soft white rinded cheeses like camembert and brie to Philadelphia is soft. If you like, try them with a fruity red like a Beaujolais or pinot noir. Even rose works well with this soft cheese style and specializes in your get-togethers.

Wine with hard cheese

Comte, cheddar, manchego, and parmigiano-reggiano are hard cheeses. If you’re looking for foods to pair with wine, hard cheese can be your easiest go-to. So, you can try the combination of chardonnay and cheddar for your parties. Or you can go for the most enjoyable pairing, rioja or cabernet sauvignon (medium-bodied red). 

Wine with melted cheese

Melted cheese classics such as raclette and fondue are fantastic, although it’s not a cheese style. But, since it tastes delicious, melted cheese is worth mentioning. These may not be the easiest dishes for pairing. But you can try aromatic white wine or a crisp from the region where melted cheese is famous. Also, look for the best wine pairings with raclette, fondue, and tartiflette.

Wine with Washed Rinned cheese

Stinky cheese or washed-rind cheeses include reblochon, taleggio, and Vacherin Mont d’Or. When these cheeses mature, they become very pungent. So, people usually do not expect a great wine pairing. However, a strong Belgian style or crisp, dry white wine goes well. 

Wine with goat cheese

Goat cheese and wine are a great blend for parties. You can pair goat cheese with sauvignon blanc, a classic wine. However, some people prefer fresh fruity red Beaujolais or a crisp, dry Provencal rose. If the party is in the summer, you can choose the latter. 

Bloomy Rind or Mold-Ripened Cheeses with wine

Bloomy rind styles are among the most loved categories of specialty cheese. They are covered with a downy and white rind, a mix of cream-colored fungus and white-colored mold. Camembert and brie are among the most well-known bloomy rind cheeses in the States. 

One can make bloomy rind cheese with any milk breed. For example, in France, Crottin goat cheese is prepared. In Italy, goat, sheep, and cow milk are used to make Robiola Tre Latti. Mold-ripened cheese goes perfectly with pinot noir and prosecco wine. 

Fresh, unripe cheeses with wine

Unripened or fresh cheeses are coagulated under lactic acid fermentation. It happens in the milk instead of adding rennet. When the curd forms, they are drained. So, the cheese is neither fermented nor ripened. This fresh, unripened cheese category includes ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, mascarpone, and quark. 

If people use fresh cheese, it’s mostly added to desserts and baking foods. Sometimes, the cheese is also flavored with vegetables, herbs, fruits, or spices. But, at times in get-togethers, it is consumed plain with Pinot Blanc wine. 

Other Food Items For Your Wine And Cheese Party

Wine and cheese aren’t so worth it without some additional delights. If you organize parties, make sure there are sweet pickles such as cornichon on the food menu. With that, herbed gluten-free rice crackers go fantastic. You can even have candied trail mix, almonds, walnuts, and candied nuts. If you want to add something fresh and natural, choose fruits like apples, pomegranates, and grapes. 

Foods to add to your charcuterie board

• Prosciutto, salami, and chorizo.
• Dried fruit, berries, apple, fruit jelly, dark chocolate, fruit chutney 
• Roasted nuts, pickles, and olives
• Baguette slices, breadsticks, and crackers
• Dips like mustard and red pepper sauce

Conclusion

Many people love to pair cheese with red wine. It’s good. However, know that certain cheeses taste better with a dessert wine or white wine. So, you can gladly experiment in your get-togethers. For instance, Chardonnay goes well with buttery cheddar. Also, rioja and manchego (sheep cheese) are a perfect pairing.