Many people know that cheeses and wine are perfectly combined with each other. When used together, they accentuate each other’s advantages. However, picking up wine ideally combined with a concrete sort of cheese is absolutely uneasy. Thus, incorrectly picked up combination can spoil taste of both cheese, and wine. The situation with a right choice of wine becomes even more difficult, if it is a question of a cheese plate. So that to choose the right combination, it is necessary to know not just cheeses, but also understand wines well.
For reception of certain notions and knowledge of cheese and wine combination, it is necessary to start with the most general principles. The knowledge of these principles allows you choosing the right wine to cheese and estimating a real taste of cheese in a combination to wine with greater probability degree:
1. White wines are combined with cheese better, than red wines. Especially it concerns cheeses with sharp strongly expressed taste, as they force down taste of red wines, spoil their bouquet.
2. The stronger and more acrid taste of cheese is, the stronger wines it demands.
3. Cheeses do not like expressed smack of wood, therefore, it is better to avoid use of wines maintained in wooden flanks for a long.
4. It is better not to combine fresh wines to neutral and sweetish cheeses, as they possess high maintenance of acid and will seem even more acid.
5. The wine choice depends as well on a degree of a cheese’s maturity. The more mature cheese is, the older wine suits it better.
6. Cheese and wine made in one region as a rule supplement each other best.
7. Red wines are better with soft delicate cheeses, and dry white wines - with juicy snackbars cheeses.
CHEESE And WINE: traditionally accepted combinations
Fresh cheeses
(Mozzarella, Ricotta, Feta)
As they are gentle and have cottage cheese or creamy taste, it is difficult to pick up successfully combined wine to them. However, basically it is possible to offer light white or pink wines to them, and also young not tannin red wines.
Not boiled pressed cheeses
(Edam, Gouda, Cheddar, Kantal, Pecorino, Reblochon, Mimolet)
These cheeses are gentle, fruity-sweetish, become juicier in the process of maturation. Usually red wines of Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir types are good to such cheeses. Their combination to white wines, which taste should coincide with strength of cheese’s taste is also possible.
Boiled pressed cheeses
(Emmental, Parmesan, Gruyere, Kont, Bofor)
Red fruit wines and quiet white wines will perfectly suit such cheeses. For example, such red wines as Beaujolais, Chinon, Mercurey and white wine Chablis with young crude Gruyere, and Pinot Gris or sustained champagne are combined to mature Alsace Tokay. Young crude Kont is combined with red and white Macon, red wine Brouilly and Fleurie, white wine Meursault and Graves, and mature Gruyere perfectly suits strong red wine, such as Bordeaux.
Soft cheeses with mould crust
(Kamamber, Bri)
Taste and aroma of these cheeses are distinguished with considerable variety, so, wines combined with them are also numerous. Light red wines suit them well, stronger red wines are good to more mature cheeses of this sort. Also white wines are well combined with these cheeses. For example, it is possible to serve such red wines as Alsace Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Villages, Chinon, Saint Emilion, Anjou Villages, Pomerol to Bri. Among white wines combined with Bri, you can choose, for example, Puligny Montrachet. Such red wines will suit camembert cheese like Corbieres, Bandol, Pauillac.
Soft cheeses with washed edges
(Epuass, Manual, Livard, Muenster, Limbersky)
These cheeses have strongly pronounced aroma and taste, which varies from more gentle to acrid. Such cheeses are well combined with strong red wines, and also white. Such red wines as Corton, Gigondas, Pauillac, Chateauneuf du Pape suit Epuass cheese, white - Pouilly Fuisse, Macon. To cheese of Livard serve such red wines as Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Morgon and such white sweet wines as Bonnezeaux, Sainte Croix Du Mont. Such red wines as Morgon, Cote Rotie and white wines Alsace Gewurtzraminer, Loupiac, Macon Villages are perfectly combined with cheese Muenster.
Blue cheeses with mould
(Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Danablu, Fourme d’ Ambert, Blyo de Plaits, Blyo de Brest)
Sweet wines are combined with blue cheeses, and also strong red wines, or sated dry white wines in the best way. To Roquefort cheese they usually recommend such wines as Sauternes, Barsac, Banyuls, Porto Vintage, red Gevrey Chambertin, Chateauneuf du Pape. Strong red wine, such as Madrian, Gigiondas, suit Gorgonzola cheese.
Goat and sheep milk cheeses
(Sent-More, Krotten de Shavinol, Shevr, Shabishu du Punto)
As a rule, they offer light fruit red wines to gentle fresh goat cheeses, and moist wines are combined with dry cheeses, including fresh white and pink. Sparkling wines are combined with goat cheeses well. For example, crude Krotten de Shavinol is combined to such wines as Pouilly Fume, Chablis, Sancerre, Muscadet, bergerac Sec, Bordeaux Sec, Bandol, and also champagne.
Processed cheeses
As a rule, such cheeses are not served with wine. As a whole, light white and red wines suit such cheeses.
