We had such a lovely evening last night geeking out on wine and food. We met an amazing couple named John and Margie who both studied “hospitality” and are both able to make a living out of  informing people about some of my favorite things… hotels, food, and wine! Lucky bastards. Anyways, we learned quite a bit about wine and cheese pairings and thought some of you may find it helpful. Luckily she gave us a pairing wheel to follow, as we had quite a bit of wine, so I would have never remembered!

With light styles of wine, you want to to pair fresh and creamy cheeses. Light fruity whites such as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, White Zin., Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay and fruity low tannin reds such as Rose, Nouveau/Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Light Chianti/Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Zinfandel should be paired with sweet/protein dominant cheeses such as Fromage Blanc, Marscapone, Cream Cheese, Ricotta, Fresh Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert, St. Nectair, Jack, Teleme, Taleggio, and smoked cheeses. 

With crisp and fruity wines, you want to pair young, tangy cheese. So crisp light white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Champagne, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis/Chardonnay, Viogner, and fruity low tannin reds such as Rose, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Shiraz/Syrah, and Zinfandel should be paired with acidity and protein dominant cheeses such as Fresh Goat Cheese/Chevre, Montrachet, Boucheron, Brebiou, Crescenza, Tomini from Piedmont, Marzalino, and Fresh Pecorino. 

In the most versatile wine and cheese category, most whites and reds such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Rose, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz/Syrah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon can be paired with young, tangy, and salty cheeses where salt, acidity, and protein are dominant. Young versions of Cheddar, Gruyere, Emmental, Fontina, Reblochon, Cabecou, Beaufort; soft creamy blues such as cambozola, Blue Castello, Saga Blue, Gorgonzola Dolce; and triple creams such as Pierre Robert, St. Andre, Brillate-Savarin, Explorateur all fall into this category.

Dessert Wines such as Dry Amarone, Recioto, Madeira, Sweet Sherry, Port, Muscat, Riesling, Vin Santo, Sauternes, Tokaji, and Ice Wine should be paired with aged, salty cheeses where salt and protein are dominant. Strong blues like Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Cabrales, Maytag, and Pt. Reyes Blue pair well. Dry aged and salt brined cheeses such as Parmesan, Asiago, Dry Jack, Aged Sharp Cheddar, Feta, ad Ricotta Salata should also be served with dessert wines.If that doesn’t make your head spin!!! This is just a basic guide, but one thing I learned last night is that if it tastes good to you, then you are probably right with the pairing. We just tasted a few California wines last night (well, formally that is… a bottle of Champagne, a Rose, and some others eventually made it to the table). We had a Sauv. Blanc, a Pinot Noir, a Cabernet, and an Ice Wine with the lesson. Margie set out a Chevre, a Manchego, a Brie, a triple cream that I can’t remember, and an amazing Parmesan. Looking forward to what we will learn next time. If you know anyone who knows wine well, I highly recommend doing this as a group. It was so much fun!!!