Thanksgiving and holiday entertaining are on our doorstep – and with that, the busiest season of the year for a well-stocked cheese case! We have no doubt your cheese staff will get inundated with questions on the best way to compose a cheese & charcuterie board, and how to pair wine and cheese. While the former can be rather straightforward, the latter is definitely a challenge. Read on to learn more about the science – and the art – behind pairing beverages with cheese. We also offer a class around this topic, during which our cheese experts can come to your offices to teach your staff all about it. Contact your rep to learn more, or read on!

What is the goal of a pairing?

A well thought-through pairing between a wine and a cheese can enhance your eating/drinking experience. Do you remember that scene in Pixar’s Ratatouille movie? The little rat Remy tries a delicious cheese on its own, then a fresh strawberry. Both offer up distinctive, unique flavors. He then eats a chunk of both at the same time – a symphony of flavors erupts. That’s what you should aim for.

A proper pairing will …

• Further enhance the taste and aroma of both your wine and cheese,
• Uncover tastes and aromas that would be otherwise too discrete to notice,
• Tamper down the more extreme flavors/aromas of what you are tasting.

What you’re trying to avoid:

• Washing out or overpowering the cheese with your beverage and vice versa.
• Clashing flavors in an unpalatable way.

The two pillars of Pairing

The terroir approach:

If it grows together … it goes together.

This age-old logic hails from immutable human and agricultural logics. On the human side: before a globalized food chains, farmers and wine producers would only consume what was grown locally. Naturally, they would make foods that would function well together. This logic is made easier by the land – oftentimes, the specificities of the soil in which the grapes are grown or on which cows/sheep/goats graze create similar flavor profiles in wine and cheese.

The Flavor approach:

A few easy pairings:

 

BURRATA

Burrata is a popular fresh cow’s milk cheese: a thin shell of Mozzarella filled with cream and stracciatella, fresh mozzarella curds.

Wine: Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Champagne.

Why it works: Burrata is incredibly rich and creamy – the acidity of a zippy white wine or the fine bubbles of a sparkling wine will cut through its richness. Sparkling wines are also known to stimulate the appetite: perfect for a cheese that is served as a appetizer!

 

WHITE GOLD PARMIGIANO REGGIANO, or OTHER AGED PARMIGIANO REGGIANOs

This unique Parmigiano Reggiano is produced by Caseificio La Traversetolese in the village of Traversetola, Parma, Italy. This small, wonderfully-skilled dairy has limited production cheese of only 19,000 wheels per year – each wheel is stamped by the town’s symbol, a winged goddess. The cheese has a unique beautiful white interior color, which earned it its nickname “white gold”. Its flavor is more subtle than most Parmigiano cheese – nutty, and significantly less salty than most. This is partly due to the cow’s feed, as they gorge on rich and silky flax seed as part of their diet. Read more about this cheese here!

Wine: It’s hard to get this one wrong. Try Chianti, Pinot Grigio Merlot, Barolo, Brunello, Dry Riesling/ Gewurztraminer, Champagne/ Prosecco, Lambrusco.

Why it works: the complexity and vast array of flavors that is part of a high quality reggiano means it can stand up to many wines. Each one of them will play off a different side of the cheese.

 

FRENCH CAMEMBERT

A bloomy rind, soft cheese from Normandy in France. You will enjoy its aroma of mushrooms, garlic and grass, which intensify with age. For those who fear stinky cheeses: the smell is way stronger than the taste!

Wine: Light, fruity red like Saumur Champigny, Pinot Noir, Gamay… or bubbles.

Why it works: camembert has got some stink to it – a strong, tannic red would make the tasting experience overwhelming. A more mellow, fine and fruity red wine will accompany the cheese’s funky fruitiness in a gentler way. As for bubbles, the logic is the same than that applied to Burrata: sparkling wines cut through the richness of the cheese.

CENTRAL MOLITERNO WITH TRUFFLES

This sheep’s milk cheese with black truffles comes from the Italian island of Sardinia. Unlike most truffled cheeses, the truffle paste is infused after Moliterno has been aged so that the cheese develops its own character before the truffles are injected. Though the truffles are only visible in the “veins,” the truffle flavor permeates throughout the entire paste. Once cut, the dark paste oozes out of the crevices of the cheese. Both delicious and intriguing visually, this cheese is a show-stopper. Enjoy this pecorino with a big, earthy Italian red with enough muscle to stand up to the truffles.

Wine: Amarone, Montepulciano, Chianti, a very flavorful Chardonnay, Port Wine.

Why it works: Moliterno is a strong cheese by itself – add truffles to it? You’ve got an enormous amount of flavor packed in one cheese. Anything wine too light would be obliterated by the cheese (you might as well drink water!). Hence, don’t be afraid to lean on bold wines with true character – whether that’s strong tannings with an amarone, or a frank sweetness with port.

FRENCH ROQUEFORT

Société® Roquefort has an ivory-colored paste with emerald-green veining and a creamy, moist texture. Its rich, intense sheep milk flavor balances the blue mold aroma creating the magic taste that has made Roquefort famous around the world. Sweet, salty and almost smoky.

Wine: Late Harvest Riesling, Sauternes, Tawny Port.

Why it works: any wine with a fair amount of sweetness will be particularly nice with a strong cheese such as Roquefort. The cheese’s sharp salinity will be offset by the wine’s sweetness.