Mastering Pairing Wine with Cheese for Experts

The fundamental principle of pairing wine with cheese is balance. Match the "weight" or body of the wine to the intensity of the cheese's flavors and textures. Hard cheeses, for example, can soften the tannins in wines. They make the wines taste fuller and fruitier. Conversely, soft, rindless cheeses that have not been aged usually sport a delicate texture and mild, tangy flavor. These go best with dry or even off-dry white wines. Light-bodied red wines and rosés also work. Sugar, acid, alcohol, and tannins in wine interact with the food's characteristics. Understanding that interaction is key to enhancing the entire dining experience. Taste and enjoyment are subjective. Focusing on these objective physical aspects can guide you to more enjoyable combinations.

How do wine characteristics interact with cheese?

Wine's physical properties-acidity, sweetness, bitterness (tannins), and alcohol-interact distinctly with the components of cheese, influencing the overall palate experience.

Acidity is a dominant player in any food and wine pairing. It heightens the perception of flavors in pronounced and complex ways. Some dishes are fatty, oily, rich, or salty. In those, acidity in wine can "cut" through the heaviness and be a refreshing change of pace on the palate. A wine can be less tart than the dish it is served with. It may then taste thin and weak.

The sweetness of wines is determined by residual sugar. That is the sugar left in the wine after the fermentation process. Sweet wines often need to be sweeter than the dish they are served with. Sweetness in a wine can balance tartness in food. That works especially well if the food has some sweetness. It can also contrast with salt. The European custom of pairing salty Stilton cheese with a sweet Port is one example.

The astringency associated with wine is usually derived from a wine's tannins. Tannins add a gritty texture and chalky, astringent taste. Some dishes are high in proteins and fats, such as hard cheeses. Paired with those, the tannins bind to the proteins and come across as softer. In the absence of protein from the food, the tannins react with the proteins on the tongue and sides of the mouth. That accentuates the astringency and has a drying effect on the palate. Spicy and sweet foods can accentuate the dry, bitterness of tannins. They can make the wine seem to have off flavors.

Alcohol is the primary factor in dictating a wine's weight and body. Typically, the higher the alcohol level, the more weight the wine has. In food and wine pairing, salt and spicy heat accentuate the alcohol. They also raise the perception of "heat" or hotness in the mouth. Conversely, alcohol can also magnify the heat of spicy food.

What are the classic cheese and wine pairings?

Classic pairings often emerged from the centuries-old relationship between a region's cuisine and their wines. Modern guidelines focus on matching the "weight" and specific characteristics of both the wine and the cheese.

Here is a guide to classic cheese and wine pairings:

Cheese Type	Characteristics	Recommended Wine Styles	Examples
Soft, rindless, unaged	Delicate texture, mild, tangy flavor	Dry or off-dry white wines, light-bodied red wines, rosés	Fresh mozzarella or burrata with Italian Pinot Grigio; fresh goat cheese with Riesling from the Finger Lakes or Germany
Creamy, bloomy rind	Richness, creaminess	Traditional method sparkling wine	Camembert or Brie with Champagne or Cava
Semi-soft		Full-bodied white wines with some oak age	Gruyere with a Meursault or Viognier
Hard, aged	Nutty, nuanced	Equally nuanced and nutty Sherry or a full-bodied and complex red wine	Parmesan or Cheddar with a Bordeaux or Barolo

These pairings demonstrate the principle of balancing weight and complementary or contrasting elements. For instance, the acidity of Champagne or Cava cuts the richness of creamy cheeses like Camembert or Brie. Their yeasty autolytic aromas and medium body complement the cheese's creaminess.

How does wine body influence cheese pairing?

Matching the body, or "weight," of a wine to the intensity of a cheese is a fundamental principle. It prevents one from overwhelming the other. In wine tasting, body is determined primarily by the alcohol level of the wine. The perceptions of tannins and extract can also influence it. Take an oaked Chardonnay from a warm wine region, such as Australia. It is typically "heavier" in body than a stainless steel fermented Chardonnay from a cooler wine region such as Chablis.

Consider these rough guidelines for wine weights:

• Lighter whites: Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Chablis, Champagne and sparkling wines, Gruner Veltliner, Vinho Verde, Muscadet.
• Medium to heavy whites: Oaked Sauvignon blanc, Alsatian wines, Albarino, White Bordeaux (Semillon), White Burgundy, Rhone whites (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne), Tămâioasă Românească, and New World Chardonnay.
• Lighter reds: Beaujolais, Dolcetto, some Pinot noir.
• Medium reds: Chianti, Barbera, Burgundy, Chinon, Rioja, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec, Zinfandel, some Pinot noir.
• Heavier reds: Syrah, Brunello di Montalcino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Port, Barbaresco, and Barolo.

Pairing heavy wines with light dishes can result in one partner overwhelming the other. The same is true in reverse. For example, a robust Cabernet Sauvignon could overwhelm a delicate fresh cheese. A light Pinot Grigio would be similarly overwhelmed by an aged, intensely flavored hard cheese. Understanding the body of your wine is crucial for a harmonious pairing. It matters as much as assessing the fill levels and condition of a bottle before considering its potential.

Should you complement or contrast flavors?

After considering weight, you can approach flavor and texture pairing. Two main strategies apply: complement or contrast.

The first strategy tries to bring wine together with dishes that complement each other. One example is an earthy, Burgundian Pinot noir with an earthy, mushroom dish. This approach seeks harmony through shared characteristics.

The second strategy operates under the truism that "opposites attract". It brings together food and wine that have contrasting traits. An example is a crisp, acidic Sauvignon blanc with a fish with a creamy lemon sauce. The crisp acidity of the wine serves as a contrast that can cut through the creaminess of the sauce. The "salty/sweet" pairing is another example of a contrasting pairing. Salty Stilton cheese with a sweet Port fits that pattern. Both strategies aim to enhance the dining experience, offering different sensations for the palate.

Do serving temperature and glassware matter for cheese pairings?

The temperature at which wine is served and the shape of the glass can significantly impact your perception of the wine. That in turn shapes its interaction with cheese. These factors are as important as understanding the live fine wine market index for your collection.

Serving temperature greatly affects how a wine tastes and smells. Lower temperatures emphasize acidity and tannins while muting the aromatics. Higher temperatures minimize acidity and tannins while increasing the aromatics. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) provides specific recommendations for serving temperatures:

• Sweet wines (e.g., Sweet Muscats, Late-harvest wines): 6 °C (43 °F) to 8 °C (46 °F).
• Sparkling wines (e.g., Prosecco, Champagne): 6 °C (43 °F) to 10 °C (50 °F).
• Light/medium-bodied whites (e.g., Fino Sherry, Muscadet): 7 °C (45 °F) to 10 °C (50 °F).
• Medium/full-bodied oaked whites (e.g., White Burgundy): 10 °C (50 °F) to 13 °C (55 °F).
• Light-bodied reds (e.g., Beaujolais, Valpolicella, Bardolino): 13 °C (55 °F).
• Medium/full-bodied reds (e.g., Vintage Port, Rioja, Bordeaux, Burgundy): 15 °C (59 °F) to 18 °C (64 °F).

The shape of a wineglass can have a subtle impact on the perception of wine, especially its bouquet. Typically, the ideal shape is considered to be wider toward the bottom, with a narrower aperture at the top (tulip or egg-shaped). That concentrates the bouquet. The INAO official wine tasting glass, for instance, is defined by specifications of the French Association for Standardization (AFNOR). It was adopted as the official glass in 1970. It has a total volume between 210 ml and 225 ml, intended to take a 50 ml pour.

What about specific flavor descriptors in wine?

Beyond broad categories, specific flavor descriptors in wine can guide nuanced cheese pairings. Grape varietal, winemaking techniques, or even faults influence those descriptors.

Winemaking processes can introduce distinct non-fruit descriptors. For example, malolactic fermentation is a bacterial process that converts "crisp, green apple" malic acid to "soft, creamy" lactic acid. It is the reason some Chardonnays can taste "buttery", because the bacteria produce diacetyl. Lactic acid is an acid found in dairy products. Other winemaking descriptors include "cheese rind," "toast," "marzipan," or "cigar box".

In oak aging, red wine is characteristically transferred to white oak barrels to mature. That imparts oak aromas and some oak tannins to the wine. These can manifest as descriptors such as "toast," "smoke," "vanilla," "cinnamon," "clove," "nutmeg," "cardamom," "coffee," "chocolate," "dill," "coconut," "caramel," or "cedar". Guaiacol is a component of smoke. It has been described as "smoky," "phenolic," and "medicinal," and is associated with high toast levels in oak barrels (AWRI: wine faults and taints).

Grape varietals themselves contribute a wide range of sensory descriptors. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon often presents notes of "blackcurrants," "eucalyptus," and "chocolate," among others. Riesling is known for "citrus fruits," "peach," and "honey". Pinot noir can offer "raspberry," "cherry," and "violets". These specific notes can either complement or contrast with the flavors of various cheeses. For example, a cheese with fruity notes might pair well with a wine like Pinot noir, enhancing the fruit character.

These flavor profiles can be invaluable when deciding whether to drink now or continue to hold a particular bottle. You can also explore regional profiles such as Bordeaux or Burgundy to understand typical characteristics.

Our cheese pairings for the styles we track feature provides a comprehensive style pairing matrix. It helps you discover new and classic combinations, and a wider range of tailored recommendations.