Cheese and wine: the best pairings

Cheese and wine are one of those combinations that always works. At least, when you make the right choices. A full-bodied red wine with a mild young cheese? That’s not going to work. The wine completely overpowers the cheese. The reverse is equally true: a delicate white wine next to a crumbly aged cheese just disappears into nothing.

The basic rule

The most important rule for pairing cheese and wine is simple: match intensity with intensity. Mild cheese with a light wine. Bold cheese with a full-bodied wine. Sweet wine with salty cheese. When the flavor intensities are in the same ballpark, they lift each other up instead of competing.

Pairings that always work

Young cheese + dry white wine

A young Gouda or a soft goat cheese pairs beautifully with a Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling. The crisp acidity of the wine cuts right through the creamy fat of the cheese.

Mature cheese + light red wine

A Noord-Hollands mature cheese with a Pinot Noir or a light Merlot. The cheese has enough character to hold its own next to the wine, but neither one dominates.

Aged cheese + full-bodied red wine

An aged farmhouse cheese, with its crystals and intense flavor, can stand up to a sturdy glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, Barolo or Rioja. The tannins in the wine and the salt crystals in the cheese find each other perfectly.

Blue cheese + sweet wine

This might just be the most surprising pairing of all. A piece of Blue Shropshire with a glass of port, Sauternes or a late-harvest Riesling. Sweet and salty together is absolute heaven.

Soft cheese + Champagne

Brie or Camembert with a glass of bubbles is a French classic. The fine mousse and acidity of the Champagne cleanse your palate between every bite of creamy cheese.

Truffle cheese + Barolo

Our truffle cheese with a glass of Barolo is pure luxury. The earthy truffle notes in the cheese resonate with the complex aromas of the wine.

Common mistakes

• Too-heavy red wine with soft cheese: the tannins make the cheese taste bitter. Go for white wine or bubbles instead.
• Red wine only: white wine is actually the better choice with most cheeses. The acidity in white wine acts as a flavor enhancer.
• Too many cheeses at once: for a cheese and wine evening, pick 4 to 5 cheeses and an equal number of wines. More than that gets chaotic.

How to host a cheese and wine evening

Start with the lightest pairing and work your way up to the boldest. So: goat cheese + Sauvignon Blanc, then mature cheese + Pinot Noir, then aged cheese + Cabernet, and finish with blue cheese + port. Serve bread, nuts and fruit alongside. Curious how to put together a beautiful cheese board? Read more about that here.

Want to taste for yourself?

At Cheese In A Box, we carry these cheeses freshly cut in our range: