Welcome to the fifth part of our series Wine for food: How to pair wine and food. So far we have tackled meat, fish and poultry, and now we turn our gaze to one of the most beloved (and most misunderstood) things on the table: the cheese.
Because here a little surprise is hiding. Most people think cheese needs red wine, but in reality it is often the white wine that makes the cheese sing. Let us look at why, and how you put together a cheese board that both you and your guests will be happy with.
What you will learn
- Why white wine often does better with cheese than red wine
- A couple of classic pairings between cheese and wine you can rely on
- How to put together a cheese board with wine that holds together
- Why sweetness and blue cheese are a perfect match
The myth of red wine for all cheese
We have been taught that cheese and red wine go together like hand in glove. And sometimes that holds true. But red wine often has tannins, that slightly dry, puckering sensation you know from strong tea. When those tannins meet a young, fresh cheese, it can give a hard, almost metallic taste. Not exactly cosy.
White wine rarely has that problem. Instead it has something else, namely freshness. Think about how a splash of lemon lifts a rich dish. The white wine's acidity cuts through the cheese's fat in the same way, cleanses the mouth and gets you ready for the next bite. That is why white wine is often the more flexible partner, suiting more kinds of cheese than red wine does. That does not mean red wine is wrong, only that it wants a cheese that can take it on.
Fresh, robust or blue cheese
You do not need to be able to name every single cheese to find a good wine. It already helps a lot to think in three rough types.
Fresh and mild
Fresh, mild cheeses such as a soft goat's cheese or a creamy fresh cheese are delicate and a little tangy. They thrive with a fresh, crisp white wine. Goat's cheese in particular and a lively, citrus-fresh white wine are a pairing that simply works, because they both have the same fresh springiness. Choose a light wine without heavy oak character, so the cheese is not drowned out.
Robust and mature
The older and more robust the cheese becomes, the more it can handle. An aged, nutty cheese has depth and a little salt, and it can accommodate both a full-bodied white wine and a fruity red wine with softer tannins. Here it is fine to let the wine and the cheese match each other in intensity, so neither of them runs away with all the attention.
Blue cheese
Blue cheese is its own category entirely, strong, salty and pungent. It calls for something special, and that is what we turn to now.
Why sweetness and blue cheese go together
Try to recall how well salt and sweet work together. Caramel with flaky salt, or a slice of melon with ham. The same magic happens when you put a sweet wine with a salty blue cheese.
Blue cheese is robust and salty, and a completely dry wine can seem almost sharp alongside it. A sweet wine does the opposite. The sweetness settles like a soft cushion beneath the salty, pungent cheese, and suddenly the two balance each other. It is a contrast that creates harmony. That is also why sweet wines with a honeyed tone and a little fresh acidity are the classic for precisely this type of cheese. If you have a sweet wine standing by, save it for the blue cheese. You will not regret it.
Wine for the cheese board
If you are setting out several cheeses at once, you fortunately do not need a wine for each one. Here are some simple moves that make life easier.
- Let white wine be your base wine. It suits more cheese types than red wine, so you will get far with a fresh white wine as the backbone of the table.
- Mousserende vin is a charmer. The bubbles and the fresh acidity cut through rich, creamy cheese and cleanse the mouth between bites. A mousserende vin is a friendly, ever-present companion to a cheese board.
- Think of the same region. Cheeses and wines from the same area have often developed together over generations and therefore go together naturally. It is an easy shortcut to a good match.
- Serve the cheese at room temperature. Cold cheese hides its flavour. Let it stand out for a while, so it unfolds and meets the wine as an equal partner.
- If you have a blue cheese along, keep a sweet wine at hand. The one bottle that rescues exactly that cheese.
A little tip on the order: Start with the mild cheeses and the light wines, and build up towards the robust ones at the end. That way the delicate flavours are not drowned out before you reach them.
In short
- White wine often suits cheese better than red wine, because tannins can turn hard against young cheese.
- The white wine's freshness cuts through the cheese's fat and cleanses the mouth.
- Think in three types: fresh and mild, robust and mature, and blue cheese.
- Sweet wine and salty blue cheese are a classic contrast that creates balance.
- For the cheese board, a fresh white wine or mousserende vin is a safe base wine.
Frequently asked questions
Can I not use red wine for cheese at all?
Of course you can. Red wine suits robust, mature cheeses well, especially if the wine is fruity and has soft tannins. Just be careful with tannin-rich red wines for young, fresh cheeses, where they can taste hard and metallic.
Which wine is easiest for a mixed cheese board?
A fresh white wine or a mousserende vin. Both have the acidity that suits many different cheeses, so you are spared from having to find a bottle for every single one.
Ready for the next step?
Now you have a solid grasp of cheese and wine, and you can set out a cheese board without guessing your way through. In the next part we look at another exciting world, namely Wine for vegetables and vegetarian food, where fresh vegetables and herbs set the direction.
Remember that these principles are good guideposts, not rules carved in stone. The finest pairing is still the wine you like with the food you feel like having. Do drop by our selection and find a bottle you feel like opening for your next cheese spread.