Matching Cheese with Wine
Cheese and Wine Matching
Matching food and wine is one of most difficult and subjective things to get right. Using up the bottle of red with a cheese selection may seem an easy option but is seldom successful. With the variety of cheeses almost matching that of wines a little planning is necessary - hence this Cheese and Wine Shop Cheese and Wine list.
General Rules:
If you have a range of cheeses choose a simple inexpensive wine to accompany them. New World reds cope well as do oak-aged Spanish reds and red wines from
Amarelo - Portuguese goat and sheep`s milk cheese. A chilled tawny port would be superb
Asiago - Italian cow`s milk cheese. Try with an Italian Chardonnay or for a red a Bardolino.
Azeitao - A Sheep`s milk cheese from just South of Lisbon. Try with a Portuguese red wine.
Baby Bel - One of our
Banon - See Goats Cheese.
Beaufort - Champagne Blanc de Noirs, white Hermitage.
Bel Paese - Barbera, lighter style of Chardonnay.
Bleu d'Auvergne - Monbazillac or other sweet wine.
Bougon - A goat`s milk Camembert. See Goats Cheese.
Boursin - A fresh and tangy Sauvignon from
Boucheron - See Goats Cheese.
Brendon - A strong matured goats cheese from
Brie/Camembert - A difficult one as the classical tang of ammonia often jars nastily with wine. Try a red from the South of France - Fitou or Corbieres. An LBV port is also worth trying.
Brillat Savarin - One of or Red
Buxton Blue - A cousin of Blue Stilton.
Cabrales - a dry or sweet Sherry for this Spanish blue cheese or a sweet wine.
Caerphilly -Wesuggest a crisp dry English wine with this hard cheese. Or try an Albarinho (Portuguese white), a Spanish Red, a Zinfandel or Sauvignon Blanc.
Cambembert - at its best when the centre is still hard while the outer is creamy. Quite salty. Go for a red wine here - Cotes d`Castillon or other aged
Cantabria - a Spanish cheese so go for a young, fruity Spanish red.
Capricorn - Our local soft goats cheese from
Celtic Promise - A semihard cheese with a rich savoury taste, made in
Chaource - One of our fine Chablis or Blanc de Noirs champagne.
Cheddar - Buy the best you can afford and revel in the flavour combinations with a Sauvignon Blanc for a white or a good claret, Rhone, or Rhone styled wine from
Chevre Brie - A goats cheese brie. See either category.
Cimbro - Cow`s milk cheese from north of Verona, Italy. Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is the wine to try.
Comte - Our organic Grüner Veltliner or a Pinot Noir for a red.
Coulommiers - a small deep brie with a sweetness rather than a saltiness to the taste. Try a New Zealand Pinot Noir or a Cotes du Rhone.
Cornish Yarg - at once creamy and crumbly with a tang, go for a good ale. Or, if not on a budget, try our
Cotija - a Mexican aged cow's milk cheese. Go for a Chardonnay or Riesling.
Crottin de Chavignol - a strong goat`s cheese from Burgundy. Dry and salty with a sweet and sour taste. Try with a Mersault or a Sauvignon Blanc.
Danish Blue - Sauternes is a good match as are other sweet wines
Double Gloucester - A good quality tawny port makes a good airing also look at Montepulciano d`Abruzzo or a Riesling.
Elmhirst - a triple cream mould ripened cheese similar to Vignotte. Light texture and delicate flavour when young. Here a light Italian white wine would be good.
Emmental - Sauvignon Blanc again goes very well try also a Californian Zinfandel or from
Epoisses - a cheese from
Feta - the soft cheese from
Fontina - a semi-soft Italian cheese. A Gewurztraminer is superb or try a Gattinara. Pinot Grigio too or for a red a Barbaresco, Barolo or Dolcetto.
Gaperon - from the
Goats Cheese - A catch all category for so many different cheeses - to match try a good Rhone Red or a Sauvignon Blanc. Classic taste combinations. Also perhaps an Italian Trebbiano.
Gorgonzola - A sweet wine is needed here. Look into getting a German or Austrian Trockenbeerenauslese or a Hungarian Tokaji. Sauternes is also good.
Graddost - a semi-hard cheese from
Gruyère - Again a Sauvignon Blanc or for a red wine an Australian Shiraz, a New World Sangiovese or a Chianti.
Havarti - A semi-soft cheese from
Jarlsberg - a hard cheese from
Le Chevrot - A superb goats cheese. See Goats Cheese.
Livarot - a very strong tasting cheese from
Manchego - A Spanish red for a Spanish cheese or open that aging claret. A Cava is recommended for a young cheese or a Fino or Amontillado Sherry.
Maroilles - a soft but powerful French cheese with a very powerful aroma. Perhaps too overpowering for wine but try with an Alsatian Pinot Gris or a Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Mimolette - Cahors or Saint Emilion or other
Monterey Jack - An American semi-hard Cheese best with Rieslings or Californian Chardonnay. For a red try with Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Morbier - This is a mild cheese made in two sections with a thin charcoal layer between. Worked very well with an unoaked Chardonnay. Try also with a our Fleurie or other
Mozzarella - Do people eat this on its own? Try with a crisp white like a Cotes du Duras or Bergerac or a
Neufchatel - from the north of
Parmesan - If eaten on its own try with a Spanish Cava, an Amarone or a Super Tuscan wine.
Pecorino - Great with a rich Zinfandel or try with a full Italian red, such as an Amarone, or if on a more modest budget, a quality Chianti Classico.
Pie d`Anglous - a light soft cheese ideal with a ripe plum or sweet grapes. Try any sweet wine - Sauternes or Monbazillac.
Picos de Europa - Northern Spanish cheese try with high Acidity/high tannin red wine, Italian Primativo, Zinfandel or certain Merlots.
Pont l`Eveque - White Bordeaux, Chardonnay from anywhere or try a white Rioja. For a red try with a red
Port Salut - A good quality Cotes du Rhone or similar blend works well as does a lighter style Italian red such as a Bardolino
Provolone - Dolcetto!
Raclette - A hard French Cheese best with a
Reblochon - A mountain cheese from the Savoie. A thin orange rind, a smooth fatty texture and a nutty aftertaste. Try with a fino sherry or if you can find one a Vin Jaune. A lighter styled Pinot Noir for a red.
Red
Roquefort & Stilton- The classic combination is with a Sauternes, but try also with any botrytis affected wine (Australian Semillon for example), a sweet Jurancon or cheaper sweet wines from anywhere really. Aged tawny port is also delicious. Vintage
Rosary Ash - An English Goats cheese from
Saint Andrews-A supple creamy textured Scottish cheese. Went very well with a
St.Marcellin - A French full-fat soft cheese made from cows milk. Fresh, yeasty aroma and a mild fruity taste. Try with a Savoie white - Roussette for example.
St.Nectaire - try with an off dry Vouvray for a white or a
Sao Jorge - Full flavoured unpasteurised cow`s milk cheese from the Azores. Accompany with a
Taurus- A rare cows cheese from
Taleggio- a full-fat soft cheese from
Tornegus- a farm house Caerphilly.
Vacherin- a Blanc de Blanc
Wensleydale - A sweeter wine needed here like a German Spatlese or a late picked
White
Stilton - often found blended with cranberies for which a champagne, or sparkling wine is recommended.