Why do wine and cheese go so well together?
There’s a saying that opposites attract. That is very true of wine and cheese. Salt, sugar, acid, tannin, fat, and spice are the building blocks of a well-suited marriage of wine and cheese. Cheese has a high fat content, while wine is generally quite acidic. Balance between these two flavours and textures is key. You don’t want one to overpower the other.
The fats in the cheese bond beautifully with the grape tannins in the wine. Think of it as a ‘creaming’ process. It allows all the other flavours in the wine to shine through, giving you a much fuller taste experience.
How far do cheese and wine pairings go back?
But cheese and wine parties weren’t only a phenomenon of 1970s Britain. Menus for Tudor and Stuart banquets show that wine and cheese have long had a place at the royal table. And historians believe we have been pairing wine and cheese for thousands of years.
Buying the best wine for cheese has long been a consideration of the wine trade. Records show British wine merchants would “buy on an apple and sell on cheese”. If a wine tasted good with a raw, uncooked apple it must be good. Then pairing any wine with cheese will make it more palatable to the average consumer and easier to sell.
Best red wines for cheese
When you drink a bold, full-bodied red wine, you want to add sharp, heavily flavoured cheese on top. The combination highlights the rich notes of both to deliver a magical burst of flavour. Mature cheddar is one of your best options. The saltiness of the cheese accentuates the subtler, earthier flavours of the wine. This fortifies your taste buds to help you to get the most from the wine.
- For a Cabernet Sauvignon, try adding an aged cheddar or hard cheese with chilli pepper.
- For a Syrah, mix in smoked cheese to bring out the tobacco notes of the wine.
- For a Grenache, serve an aged Spanish Manchego for subtler flavours.
- For a Merlot, offer aged Gouda or Grana Padano cheese to bring out the most in your wine.
Light red wine can have just as much flavour as full-bodied wines. However, they tend to have higher acidity and lower alcohol. This gives them a “lighter” taste. Beaujolais and Pinot Noir wines are both soft on your palate.
Delicately flavoured cheeses help amplify the flavours of these wines. Camembert is a classic. Brie, too, is a great match for reds made from the Gamay grape.
Best white wines for cheese
All white wines work well with cheese. In fact, they match with more cheeses than your dark and light red wines do. This is thanks to the lack of tannins, which give red wines their bold, strong flavours. Without tannins, you don’t have to worry about the flavours of the wine overpowering the cheeses - or vice versa.
However, some white wine and cheese matches come closer to perfection than others:
- Chardonnay: The Chardonnay grape makes extremely popular and delicious white wines. The buttery oak-aged versions go well with creamy and soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert. If you prefer unoaked Chardonnay, couple this up with goat cheese and some of the hard cheeses. If you’re unsure about the difference, check out our guide on oaked vs. unoaked chardonnay.
- Chenin Blanc: Chenin Blanc is originally from France’s Loire Valley. But it has also found star quality further afield, particularly in South Africa. The wine’s apple and pear notes complement fresh cheeses like Chèvre - or creamy cheeses like Brie and Camembert.
- Pinot Grigio: Italy’s signature Pinot Grigio is light and crisp. That makes it a perfect for lighter cheeses: like mozzarella, fresh goat cheese or ricotta.
- Riesling: Serving spicy or salty cheeses, such as blue cheese or Gorgonzola? Then pour the Riesling! Its sweetness and acidity also work with semi-soft cheeses like Havarti or Muenster.
- Sauvignon Blanc: Goats' cheese, feta, or cheeses with herbs are pungent and tangy. They are crying out Sauvignon Blanc (whether from Sancerre or New Zealand). The wine's crisp acidity and herbaceous notes make it a great match for lighter, milder cheeses like mozzarella.
- Viognier: Floral and fruity, Viognier is another grape from the Loire that is also doing well in Chile. Either way, it's just the thing for semi-soft and semi-hard cheeses like Gruyère, Comté, or Fontina.
