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A Great Pair
Combine Cheese and Wine for a Fun, Tasty Party
By Paula Lambert
Cheese and wine have a great deal in common, and they have been enjoyed together since ancient times. Both are products of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple and young or in their more complex forms when they are aged and mature.
There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should always be served with particular cheeses. There is an old adage that red wines go with hard cheeses and white wines with soft cheeses – but just like red wine with fish, there's always an exception.
Another tradition is that cheeses of a certain geographic region are best enjoyed with wines of the same region. But, just as one bottle of cabernet sauvignon from the Napa Valley is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one Brie exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes pairing cheese and wine interesting as well as delicious.
Harmony should always exist between the cheese and the wine. Strong-flavored cheeses should be paired with similar wines and delicate cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
The possibilities of pairing cheese and wine are endless. There are so many wines and so many cheeses. Below I have listed some of my preferences:
- Young, mild and milky cheeses such as fresh goat cheese with light, fruity delicate wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Beaujolais.
- Assertive, strong-flavored cheeses such as Provolone with young, robust red wines such as and Chianti and Syrah.