By Leigh O’Connor.
Relax…just take it cheesy and brie-live in the moment! Grab a glass of your go-to vino and a slice of cheese for a really grate evening on the couch.
Not sure which cheese to pair with which wine – don’t worry if this is nacho thing, we have six tips sure to impress friends and family at your next wine and cheese soirée.
•Pair wine and cheese with equal intensity. This is important for creating your own pairings – the delicate flavours of Gruyère would be overwhelmed by a bold Cabernet Sauvignon, but are perfectly balanced alongside a Pinot Noir.
•Bold red wines pair best with aged cheese. As cheese ages it loses water content and becomes richer in flavour with an increased fat content making an ideal match for bold red wines. The fat content in the cheese counteracts the high tannins in the wine – for the best results, select cheese aged at least a year such as cheddar, Gruyère, Manchego, Gouda, Provolone and Parmesan-style varieties.
•Match smelly cheese with sweeter wines. Moscato, Gewürztraminer and late-harvest dessert wines are a grate match for stinky, washed-rind and blue-vein cheese. The sweetness in the wine helps balance the smell of the cheese and make it taste creamier; the stink of the cheese also balances the sweet taste of the wine. Two classic combinations are Port with Stilton and Sauternes with Roquefort.
•Sparkling wine and soft, creamy cheese – a match made in heaven. High acidity and carbonation produce a palate-cleansing effect for creamy, sticky cheese such as brie Muenster, camembert and Cremont.
•Wine and cheese from the same place pair well together. For example, Sauvignon Blanc and goats’ cheese (Loire Valley), Chardonnay with Époisses de Bourgogne (Burgundy) and Garnacha with Manchego (Spain).
•If you are serving several wines and are not sure what to pair with them, a safe bet to match most styles of wine is a firm, nutty cheese. Think, Swiss, Gruyère, Abbaye de Belloc, Comté Extra, Emmental and Gouda.
So next time you want to create the most impressive cheese and wine offering, don’t cheddar tear, everything will be okay!
