Perhaps the ultimate match of food with beverage is wine and cheese. They’re nearly twins.
Both date to ancient times. Both are fermented. Both are governed all over the world by appellationand quality standards. And each reflects the place where it is born, its terroir. One translates its terroir via a vine. The other, by an udder.
Matching cheese with wine is the same as matching any food with wine. Matches work—or don’t—because of what’s in the wine and in the cheese, things such as acidity or fat.
Region
Many people follow the adage "If they grow together, they go together" and there certainly are dozens of regional matches that bear the adage out. For example, a small log of fresh ch
èvre (French goat’s cheese) tastes terrific with a crisp Sancerre from the Loire.
But in truth, that the Sancerre and the cheese come from the same region of France is secondary. What matters more is that both the cheese and the wine contain certain components or elements that go well together.
The elements that count with wine and cheese combinations—indeed, with any food and wine match—are acid, fat, sweetness, salt, tannin and alcohol. Both wine and cheese can share some of these elements (acid, sweet, salt). Others are specific to one or the other (tannin and alcohol in wine, for instance).
Acidity
The main reason that Sancerre and chèvre marry well is that both are high in acidity—one of the keycomponents of many foods and all well-made wines. In a food and wine combination, when acid meets acid, it can be electric. There really isn’t a better explanation for the happy marriage.
Also, acidity is a good cleanser of fat from the palate which is why Brie and Chablis along with Munster and Alsace Gewurztraminer work well as pairs.
Salt & sugar
Another pair of elements that have a natural affinity for each other is the duo of salt and sweetness. This goes a long way toward explaining why port and Stilton cheese is such a famous match. This twosome of sugar and salt is reflected in the successful pairing of most any wine with a bit of sweetness and many blue or well-salted cheeses.
Tannin
Some of the best wines for firm cheeses are tannic red wines. That’s because as a cheese ages it evaporates its water content and concentrates its fat—and fat and tannin are made for each other (think prime rib and Cabernet Sauvignon). That explains why Parmigiano-Reggiano is delicious with Amarone, Barolo or other hefty, tannic red wines.
Sweetness
Perhaps the best wine for most any kind of cheese is Champagne or good sparkling wine. That may be because most cheeses are mildly sweet (they’re made of milk, after all) and so are these wines, with their ever-so-slight touch of sugar. Two slightly sweet things—just like two slightly acidic things—make magic in the mouth.
Champagne and sparkling wine also sport bracing acidity, a good foil for fat and a very common element in cheese. And, anyway, bubbles are good scrubbers of the richness of many cheeses.
By and large, and despite common assumptions, white wines do a better job than red wines as overall partners for cheese. And lighter red wines, by and large, are tastier than heavier red wines. That’s because acidity and fruity sweetness—something white wines have over red wines—marry more easily with food.
Happy marriages
Here are a number of wine and cheese matches that work really well.
If you’re trying to find a match for a cheese or a wine that you don’t see on this list, seek rather to discover what style of cheese or wine each is and substitute.
For example, a Dutch Gouda is like a young French Mimolette is like a fresh Italian Asiago is like a Spanish Mahon. Cheddar the world over is like Cheddar; chèvre, like chèvre; blues are blues; and Argentine Parmesan is like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Appenzeller (Switzerland) with Valpolicella, Bardolino or Dry Red Ripasso
- Blue (USA) with Semi-Dry Muscat, Riesling or Sparkling Wine or Stout
- Brie de Meaux (France) with Chinon, Beaujolais or Light French Red
- Camembert (France) with Bordeaux Superieur
- Camembert (USA) with Central Coast Pinot Noir, USA Barbera or Sangiovese
- Cheddar (England) with Pommard or Volnay, Red Burgundy
- Dry Monterey Jack (USA) with Medium-Bodied Chardonnay or Weiss Beer
- Emmenthaler (Switzerland) with Dry Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, New Zealand)
- Fresh Goat Log (USA) with Dry Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma, Loire, New Zealand)
- Gorgonzola (Italy) with Vin Santo or Bual Madeira
- Gouda (Netherlands) with Mature Red Burgundy or American Pinot Noir
- Havarti (Denmark) with Medium-dry German Riesling
- Mahon (Spain) with Semi-Sweet or Dry Madeira
- Manchego (Spain) with Penedes Chardonnay or Almansa Tinto (La Mancha)
- Morbier (France) with Jura or Mâcon Blanc or Burgundy Rouge
- Mozzarella di Buffala (Italy) with Greco di Tufo or Lacryma Christi Bianco
- Pecorino (Italy) with Rosso Piceno
- Pont l’Eveque (France) with Alsace Pinot Gris or Rhône Viognier
- Queso Fresco (USA) with Dry Riesling, Weiss or Pilsner Beer
- Roquefort (France) with Sauternes or Barsac
- Stilton (England) with Late-Bottled Vintage Port or Sauternes
- Taleggio (Italy) withTaurasi, Barolo, Aged Salice Salentino