Wine and Cheese Pairing

M

meryl

Well-known member
WINE AND CHEESE PAIRING CHART:

I. DRY WHITE WINES, LIGHT TO MED-BODIED:

Auxerrois, Gruner Vetliner, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Chenin Blanc (dry), Muscadet, Chardonnay (no oak), Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Lighter Champagne or Sparkling.

Cream based fresh no rind, most Goat's cheeses, and blueish-grey natural rind:

Examples: Cream cheese, crème fraiche, mozzarella, fontina, chevre, crottin, feta, averti, st-marcellin, tete de moine, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, Emmental , Ricotta, Monterey Jack, Barbu, Bouleau, Knockalara.

II. DRY WHITE WINES, FULL-BODIED:

Chardonnay (with oak), Fume Blanc, Bordeaux whites, Dry Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Semillon, Champagne, Full Flavored Champagne or Sparkling, Gavi.

Semi-soft Cheeses, grey-pink thick rind & Soft cheeses with bloomy white or red dotted rind:

Examples: Brie, Camembert, Port-Salut, Chaource, Bougon, Livarot, Pont l'Eveque, Reblochon, Oka, Tomme de Savoie, St-Nectaire, St. Andre, Taleggio, Dunberra.

III. DRY RED WINES, LIGHT TO MED-BODIED

Dry Red Wines, Light to Med-Bodied, Fruity

Beaujolais or Gamay Noir, Valpolicella, Dry Rose, Zweigelt, Chinon, Bourgueil, Cabernet Franc, Barbaresco, Pinot Noir.

Fresh with no rind, soft cheeses with bloomy rind, and some colored thick rinds:

Brick, Brie, Cheshire, Edam, Emmental, Gouda, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Wensleydale, Jarlsberg, Oka, Migneron, Coolea, Munster.

IV. DRY RED WINES, MEDIUM-FULL BODIED, COMPLEX AND RUSTIC

New World Pinot Noir or Complex Burgundian Red, Cru Beaujolais, Chianti, Barbaresco, Barbera, Pinotage, Valpolicella.

Older Rustic styles with softer Tannins:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Super Tuscans, Amarone, Chianti Classico, Malbec, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Ribera del Duero.

Soft Cheeses with washed and sticky orange-red, brownish rinds:

Pied-de-Vent, Mi-careme, Vacherin, Brie d'Mieux, Chaput, Munster, Langres, Mature Epoisses, Maroilles, Raw milk Brie, Coulommiers, Morbier, Milleens, Reblochon, Limburger, Sir Laurier d'Arthabaska, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, St-Damase Au Gre des Champs, Gubbeen.

V. DRY RED WINES, FULL-BODIED:

Bordeaux Reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Meritage, Merlot, Shiraz or Syrah, Barolo, Rioja, Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscans, Amarone, Chianti Classico, Malbec, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Ribera del Duero, Grenache.

Hard Cheeses, waxed or oiled:

Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta Salata, Romano, Asiago, Pont l'Eveque, Gruyere family, Manchego, Cantal, Comte, Old Gouda, Old Cheddar, Baulderstone, Beaufort, Leicester, Aged Chesire, Chevre Noir, Wensleydale, Tilsit, Iberico, Mahon, Roncal, Mizithra

VI. SWEET WINES:

AuxeIcewine, Sweet Vouvray, Quarts de Chaume, Sauternes or Barsac, Tokaji Aszu, Trockenbeerenauslese, Beerenauslese,VendageTardive, Monbazillac, Sweet Rieslings.

Blue Veined Cheeses and Some Cream Cheeses:

Roquefort, Saga, Cambonzola, Blue Ermite, Le Ciel de Charlevoix, Bleu de la Moutonniere, Bleubry Cayer, Cabrales, Mascarpone, Devon Cream, Torta, Gorgonzola.

Written By Maria Moessner, Inniskillin Wines Estate Sommelier

http://www.globalchefs.com/wineGuy/featArchive/wgf020win.htm

 
That's a nice rundown/guide. And unfortunately reinforces something I was told recently NOT

to do and that I love to do--that is serve a red wine with blue cheese. And will continue to do. Thanks.

 
I love Stilton with Port, but almost as much with a cab. Gorgonzola with greens, pasta , and ??--

with a light red mmmmmmmmm.
But check out post 3327--sauce for lamb with bleu and red wine. I honestly did not think it would be pretty. One of the best things I've ever tasted and pretty sauce!!!I used dried apricots, Stilton, and a Zinfindel.
Yummers, who are "they" and what do they know??

 
Girls, girls, this is just a guide. As with everything, it's all about one's own taste! smileys/smile.gif I like

red wine with blue cheese also. Plus, it's great in cooking - I make a pasta sauce with blue cheese, red wine, mushrooms, garlic, canned tomatoes, etc. It's delicious.

 
Hey there- found this from the SF Chronicle - Beer and Cheese Pairing

EXPERT MATCHES
The following pairings are based on suggestions from beer experts Tom Dalldorf, Garrett Oliver, Lucy Saunders and Mark Todd and have been tested at the table..

With: Young, fresh, tart cheeses such as fresh chevre, mozzarella and crescenza
Try: Wheat beers such as hefeweizen, Bavarian-syle weissbier and Belgian- style witbier; pilsners.

With: Humboldt Fog and other goat cheeses with a little age
Try: A Belgian-style saison such as Ommegang Hennepin or Saison Dupont.

With: Garrotxa and other aged goat cheeses with some caramel notes
Try: Sierra Nevada Stout or similar dry, creamy stouts with coffee and chocolate aromas.

With: Lamb Chopper and other mild, medium-aged sheep's milk cheeses with sweet, cooked-milk notes
Try: Fat Tire, Red Tail Ale or similar amber ales well balanced between malt and hops.

With: Ossau-Iraty, mature Pecorino Toscano and other aged sheep's milk cheeses with pronounced salty, nutty flavors
Try: Lost Coast Brewery Downtown Brown or other brown ales.

With: Soft-ripened triple creme such as Seal Bay, Pierre Robert or Mt. Tam
Try: A Belgian-style saison such as Ommegang Hennepin or Saison Dupont; a dry kriek or other fruit beer.

With: Aged Gruyere, Comte or other aged Swiss-style mountain cheeses
Try: Anchor Porter, Rogue Shakespeare Stout or other sweet, mellow porters or stouts with chocolate, caramel and roasted coffee notes; brown ales.

With: Montgomery cheddar or other classic English-style cheddar
Try: McEwen's IPA or other pale ales with abundant hopping; Anchor Steam.

With: Munster Gerome or other washed-rind cheeses with strong earthy aromas
Try: Chimay Grande Reserve (blue label), Red Tail Ale or French biere de garde, such as Jeanlain or La Choulette Ambree.

With: Saenkanter or other aged Gouda with pronounced caramel notes
Try: Anchor Porter or other gently sweet, mellow, rounded porters; or nut- brown ales or amber ales.

With: Stilton or other mild to moderately piquant blue cheeses
Try: Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale or Moylan's Barleywine Style Ale. Serve barley wine at cellar temperature.

-- Janet Fletcher

PAIRINGS POINTERS
Although you'll find many happy matches that break the following rules, these guidelines are a good starting point for thinking about beer with cheese.

-- Pair delicate beers with young, fresh cheeses.

-- Pair malty beers with nutty, aged cheeses.

-- Pair highly hopped, bitter beers with tart, sharp cheeses,

especially cheddars.

-- Pair strong, sweet beers with blue cheeses

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/17/WIGHKBA1OC1.DTL

 
Oh, I know. I was amazed that this was the "norm" and decided

"what do they know"!! LOL BUT I was surprised on this "guide" to see the blues listed with such sweet wines (port, of course, is a given), but upon reflection, the often saltiness of the blue would be nice with the sweet.
There may be another subtle difference here. For example, in Europe, cheese would never be served as an appetizer whereas we routinely do so. So we have a red wine--and a cheese plate that includes a blue (for sure). But a French person responded to the post where the "no red with blue" was stipulated and she laughed also, saying they sure do in France.

 
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