Is there anything that goes better with a glass of wine than a wedge of cheese? While this is nearly a universal truth, not all pairings are going to work. There’s a skill to matching cheese with wine in a way where one doesn’t overpower the other and, instead, they complement each other beautifully.
For tips on which wine varietals tend to pair best with styles of fromage we turned to the pros: four wineries in North America that also produce cheese on a commercial level.
Boonter’s Blue paired with their Muscat Vin Doolsey. photo courtesy of Pennyroyal Farm, Boonville, California
Lean on Sweet White Wines
White wines with a sweet edge can be challenging because they are already so “heavy” on the palate. But if you choose your cheese wisely, a pairing will work. “Many people might think that it is hard to pair a washed-rind cheese with a sweeter white wine. Because of the winemaking style to produce our Viognier and the milk that we use to make our washed rind cheese, Bigfoot, this pairing really works for us,” says Aiyah Geier, head cheesemaker at Wooldridge Creek Winery and Creamery in Grants Pass, Oregon. In 2015, it was the first state’s first winery/creamery combo and remains so today.
Some sweeter white wines—like a sweet Riesling—also pairs well with spreadable cheeses, especially goat cheese. The reason is that the acidity in each is nearly identical.
Dessert wines—the sweetest of them all—are often excellent pairings with cheese. Joselyn Thoresen, media manager at Pennyroyal Farm in Boonville, California, frequently suggests her creamery’s blue cheese (raw, aged Boonter’s Blue) with its Muscat Vin Doolsey, a fortified dessert wine.
Little John Cheddar photo credit Locksley Farmstead Cheeses
Pair Oaky Red Wines with Aged Cheeses
Most wine collectors have a stash of red wines with oaky profiles on the palate that date back several vintages. Are you looking for an excuse to raid the cellar, perhaps? To sip through those, do so with Gouda or cheddar, says Erin Saacke, Chrysalis Vineyards’/Locksley Farmstead Cheese Co.’s cheesemaker in Middleburg, Virginia. In fact, the creamery’s Aged Nottingham Gouda (aged for 10 to 12 months) is often paired with Chrysalis Estate Bottled Norton in the tasting room.
“Oaked red wines with some age go well with Gouda,” she says, pointing to specific varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, although she will often drink the winery’s Norton with her Aged Little John Cheddar (aged for 12 to 14 months).
Employees at Pennyroyal Farm’s tasting room enjoy a glass of its vintage Pinot Noir with bites of its Boont Corners Reserve, a goat’s-milk cheese aged between eight and 12 months. “The texture of our firmer and drier aged cheese and concentrated nutty flavor makes it the ideal pairing with our wine’s lush, baked rhubarb notes,” says Thoresen.
Upper Bench Gold photo courtesy of Upper Bench
Enjoy Chardonnay & Washed Rind Cheeses
If you’re stuck on where to begin, consider a wine and cheese pairing that many winemakers and sommeliers swear by: Chardonnay and a washed-rind cheese. This is a recommendation that Shana Miller, the cheesemaker at Upper Bench Estate Winery and Creamery in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, will always suggest to customers. (Her husband makes the wines.) When you bring together Chardonnay and the creamery’s Upper Bench Gold, “the lightly toasted oak on the wine, while still having that bright acidity (as the wine is not put through malolactic fermentation) works well with the creamy, buttery richness of the cheese,” says Miller.”
Match ABV & Flavor Intensity
If you’re still not sure what bottles to open with a particular cheese, look at their alcohol content. “High-alcohol wines (13.5%+) best pair with intense-flavored cheeses and low-alcohol wines best pair with delicate cheese,” says Saacke. If you’ve ever drunk a California Cabernet Sauvignon with very ripe brie then you understand.
Looking for even more tips? Check out our companion story, 5 Top Tips for Pairing Wine with Cheese from People who Make Both on Alcohol Professor.