How To
Pair Wines
And Cheese
by Chef Antoine Lours
The classic combination of wine and cheese is a treat that many people enjoy. But if you want to enjoy the best possible taste of this pair, the combination needs to be done properly. While this isn’t rocket science, there are still some useful tips you need to consider for this pairing to be ideal.
To help you create a suitable wine and cheese pair, we’ll take you through a few useful tips on what to consider in making the right combination. After understanding this, you’ll be in an excellent position to create an exquisite and delicious wine and cheese pair.
Opt For White Wine
When Undecided
If you’re still not used to pairing wine and cheese, it’s advisable to go for white wine over red wine. White wine does a great job in being paired with cheese because it mostly tastes like pineapple, apples, grapes, and pears. All these fruits taste good when eaten with cheese.
Use Food To Bridge
Cheese And Wine
In some instances, finding the perfect wine and cheese match can be somewhat of a challenge. When doing a wine and food pairing, it’s easier to achieve the perfect balance between the taste of wine and the flavor of the cheese. The food options to consider include dried fruit, jam, crackers, or apples alongside wine and cheese. This will take some experimentation, but over time, you’ll be able to determine which flavor is more appealing to your taste.
Aim For Balance
The balance achieved by the wine and cheese pairing is the most important factor you need to consider when combining them. This means before you choose the type of wine and cheese, you need to assess the wine’s acids or tannins and the cheese’s creaminess as well. Doing this is crucial to ensure that the wine and cheese combination you’d pick is compatible with one another.
For example, if you’re looking to pair a Pinot Noir with a soft cheeseburger, you would want to select a cheese that has milder acidity or something that has some residual nitrogen. Similarly, if you are looking for a Cabernet Sauvignon with a roasted port smoked salmon, you would want to select a dry, smoky grilled cheese with a medium level of acidity and flavor. The tannins or acids in the wine react with the cheese’s fat, which improves the flavors and cleanses the palate.
Ensure Both The Cheese And Wine Are At The A Suitable Temperature
To best bring out the flavor of the cheese and wine, you need to make sure that their temperature is ideal. If not, you won’t get the most out of the taste that the manufacturer had intended.
Observing the correct room temperature is especially important when dealing with cheese, which becomes soft when left at room temperature. When left at a colder temperature, the cheese becomes harder, preventing it from doing an excellent job of bringing out its flavors and smells. The same applies to both red and white wine, so you need to ensure that you don’t store them in an extremely cold or hot environment.
