I knew the day would eventually come when I would have to write about pairing wine with cheese.
Odd that I’ve been dreading it, don’t you think? After all, doesn’t everybody know that wine goes with cheese like gravy with mashed potatoes or butter with popcorn?
Well, actually, that’s a myth. The truth is cheeses are pretty particular as to which wines they pair with. You cannot simply buy a bunch of types of cheese and serve them with an assortment of wine—unless you’re a glutton for culinary disaster. Pairing wine with cheese takes planning, thought, skill and a bit of good luck.
Think about it this way: what are the basic rules I’ve been hammering on in this column:
- Drink red wine with meat
- Drink white wine with fish;
- Match textures;
- Pair sweet with spice;
- Don’t drink a “big” wine with a delicate food
- Don’t drink delicate wines with “big” food; and
- Try high acid wines with creamy sauces.
But none of these rules really work for cheese.
