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How to Pair Cheese With Wine (GUIDE)

How to Pair Cheese With Wine - Cheese Origin

Though cheese and wine is a classic pairing; knowing how to pair them together may be a tad more challenging if you have no idea where to start (oh ya, and pricier for trial and error too).

In relative to beer pairing (click here for the complete guide on how to pair cheese with beer), wine is a little tougher to pair.

Here’s Why Not All Wine and Cheese are Compatible

Are cheese and wine really ‘best buddies?’

The truth is, NOT ALWAYS!

Even the most expensive and the most magnificent of red wines can hinder the flavors of cheese if you are not careful.

The tannins in wine may interact with the butterfat, rind, and lactic bacteria of cheese. They will overwhelm your palate and stifle the aromas of cheeses.

This often result in bitter aftertaste and can cause major disappointment for both cheese and wine lovers alike.

If you want to avoid an unpleasant experience, check out and try these wine and cheese pairings below instead…

Eating Cheese With Wine the Fail-proof Ways (PAIRINGS)

CheeseWine
Fresh, Whey, and Stringy CheesesRosé, Dry Whites, Demi-sec Whites, Low-tannin Fruity Reds
Soft Cheeses with Natural RindsRosé, Dry White (with fairly ripened cheeses), Demi-sec Whites (with ripened cheeses), Low tannin Fruity Reds (with fairly younger cheeses)
Soft Cheeses with Bloomy RindsSlightly Fruity Whites, Low-tannin Fruity Reds
Uncooked Pressed CheesesDry Whites (with young cheeses), Fruity Red with No Astringency (with young or semi-ripened cheeses), Vins doux Naturels (aka naturally sweetened wines with fairly ripened cheese)
Cooked Pressed CheesesDry Whites, Vins Jaunes of Jura, Reds (with young cheeses)
Soft Cheeses with Washed RindsSweet Whites, Dessert Whites
Blue-veined CheesesSweet Whites, Dessert Whites, Moderately Aged Red Wines with Soft Tannins, Vinx doux Naturels (aka Naturally Sweet Wines)

Also read: 4 Simple Cheese Pairing Tips for Beginners

4 Beginner-friendly Cheese and Wine Pairing Tips

#1 Pair wine and cheese of the same color

If you no clue then try matching color. In general, white wine suit cheeses better than red wine.

A matured yellow Comté works well with nutty vin jaune (yellow wine) from the Jura. On the other hand, a young whiter-note Comté goes better with a drier white wine.

Bonus tip:
If you currently only have red wine, choose cheeses with colored rinds such as aged Cantal, Epoisses, Saint-Nectaire, dry goat’s cheeses, etc.

#2 Pair wine and cheese from the same region:

What grows together goes together. You can pair Pecorino Romano with Chianti (central Italy). Manchego with Rioja or bubbly cava (north-west region of Spain).

#3 Pair wine and cheese of the same intensities

Pairing a complex, robust and full-bodied red wine with a young and mild goat cheese like chèvre will simply overwhelm the taste of the cheese.

#4 Pair Sweet Wine with Salty Cheese and Vice Versa

Flavor-contrast is another beginner-friendly way to pair wine with cheese.

Dry tannic goes well with strong full-bodied cheeses… because fat has the beautiful effect of mellowing the tannic qualities of wine.

Salty robust blue cheeses goes well with sweet wines like P.X. Sherry (the sweetness wine in the world) and Rutherglen Muscat – their opposites match one another’s strength.

Bonus tip:
Dare to pair beyond the common red wine! Pairing red with cheese is a classic pairing but going beyond the red will help you experience both surprising and delicious combination.

Cheese And Wine Pairings You Should Definitely Try

CheeseWine
Young Fresh Cheeses like Chèvre, Burrata, and RicottaSauvignon Blanc, Dry Rosé, Unoaked Reds
Bloomy RindsSparkling White Wines, Unoaked Chardonnays, Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc, Fruity Reds
FetaPinot noir, Pinot gris, Light-bodied Beaujolais
Alpine CheesesSpicy Fruity Rosé
Comté and Bloomy RindsOrange Wines
Blue CheesesFull-bodied Red and Dessert Wines (like Port)

Recommended Book to Read:

Sale
Tasting Wine and Cheese: An Insider's Guide to Mastering the Principles of Pairing
Tasting Wine and Cheese: An Insider's Guide to Mastering the Principles of Pairing
  • Centamore, Adam (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 160 Pages - 10/01/2015 (Publication Date) - Quarry Books (Publisher)
$18.23
Buy on Amazon

Articles you might be interested:

  • What’s the Best Way to Store Cheese?
  • The Importance of ‘Relaxing’ Your Cheese Before Serving
  • 3 Tips to Enhance Your Cheese Tasting Experience
  • How to ‘Taste’ Cheese Through the Nose
  • Why Do Some Cheeses Have Holes?

Last update on 2022-06-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Filed Under: Cheese Pairing

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