Cheese & Cheesemaking Super Store

Wine and Cheese Pairing

When trying to put together a  tasty wine and cheese pairing, the  thing you have to know is: If it  tastes right, do it!  I am sure you have heard all the best known chefs explaining about what cheese works with which wine; however, when you make your selection, it is all about personal taste.  You may prefer one cheese with a particular wine while someone else may like an entirely different pairing. My  recommendation is for you to be in a mood experiment and enjoyment. Choose several cheeses and several wines. You will find one pairing that is best for you and another for someone else. You cannot go wrong. wine tasting parties will create conversation. It will be interesting. It will be delectable. And it will be enjoyable.

Cheese and wine have a great deal in common, and they have been enjoyed together since days gone by. Both  result from fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more complicated forms when they are aged and mature.

When paired up, wine and cheese  bring out the best in each other, and even the experts cannot agree on any absolutes in the wine and cheese pairing match game.  Now certainly, if you are looking into this, you are a highbrow like the rest of us, and with snobs, theres no worry about errors in wine and cheese pairings — say like nibbling american cheese while sipping boxed Franzia.

There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should always be served with a particular cheeses. There is a tradition that cheeses of a certain geographic region are best paired with wines of the same region. But, just as one bottle of zinfandel from the France is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one Brie exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes combining cheese and wine fascinating as well as fun.

Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain general rules have been proven favorable by most of chefs. Here are some of those general guidelines:
o White wines pairs well with soft cheeses and stronger flavors.
o Red wines pairs well with hard cheeses and milder flavors.
o Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines pairs well with a wider range of cheeses. 
o The more snappy the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
o Rapport should always exist between the cheese and the wine. They should have similar intensities. There should always be a balance – strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines and delicate cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
o A complete list of well paired wine and cheese groupings can be found at temecula-wine.net.

When offering many cheese brands in a wine and cheese pairing, white wines fair better than reds. Thats because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a after taste of fat on the palate that interferes with the flavor in reds, making them monotonous and bland.

Just the opposite, most of those sweeter whites nicely complement most cheeses. The sparkle in a sparkling wine or champagne can help break through the fat in heavier cheeses.Therefore, the spicy zing of a Gewurztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is perfect if you are going for wide-reaching appeal.

If you are an adventurist and willing to try the stinkiest of cheese, pick a big wine to back it up. Try a French Bordeaux or a buxom California Cab. Ports and dessert wines are your best combination if you like mold-donned or blue-veined cheeses.

To be safe while having several wines, choose Parmigiano or Romano cheeses. They go with most wines.

A Wine and Cheese Pairing Party to Remember

Here are my tips for setting up a group pleasing wine and cheese pairing affair for your friends:
o Purchase your cheeses in big chunks for a memorable display.
o Cheeses should be served at room temperature. Pull them out of the frig several hours prior to your affair.
o Serve most wines fairly cool — whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees. 
o Let your reds breathe 15-20 minutes after you open them. 
o Print typed name cards for all your cheeses. 
o Display cheese on a cheese tray, a wood cheese board, or even a nice piece of china.

Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a rule. It is a match made on the palates of each of your guests.  Start with the basic rules and then rebel with the new pairings. You never know which couple will eventually be your choice selections.

About the Author

David Cragg has built and sold two internet
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IBM and the second for Microsoft. Now retired,
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