Feeling fancy? If there’s one combination most foodies can’t get enough of, it’s cheese and wine. And one of the best ways to enjoy cheese is pairing it with a delicious glass of bubbles.
Bursting with flavour, cheese and wine pairings make for an easy mid-afternoon snack if you’re in the mood for some indulgence, as well as a fantastic dinner party addition.
But pairing cheese and wine together isn’t always easy, so Starts at 60 chatted with Cherry Stowman, senior brand ambassador for Taylors Wines Australia, and Stefano De Blasi, director of Salt Meats Cheese (a Brisbane restaurant dedicated to cheese and Italian food!) to find out the best cheese and wine pairings.
Cabernet sauvignon is a great partner for aged cheddar, Cherry reckons, explaining that, ” … in fact, it’s a ‘classic’ match – the tannin in the wine marries beautifully to the bite of the cheese”. It’s fair to say a cheese platter isn’t complete without a wheel of brie or camembert cheese, though, and Stefano reckons they go best with a bubbly glass of prosecco.
If your dinner party includes a pasta dish sprinkled in parmesan (parmigiano-reggiano), meanwhile, he recommends serving your guests red wine. Mozzarella and a glass of merlot is another nice combination, Cherry says. However, if you’re more inclined to white wines, she recommends pairing mozzarella with a pinot gris.
According to Cherry, another classic match is goats cheese paired with sauvignon blanc. She says they work well together because they’re both “sharp and zesty”. And if your platter includes feta cheese “a light red is the way to go here,” she reckons. Cherry recommends serving it with a light pinot noir, or even a rosé made with pinot noir grapes.
If you’re on the hunt for a new cheese or want to try something different at your next family get-together, Stefano recommends two traditional but less well-known cheeses that will sure be a hit. Pinot grigio and pecorino romano work great, he says, because the sharpness from the cheese and fruity flavours of the wine create the perfect contrast.
One of the most popular combinations, Stefano says, is pairing stracchino (a soft cow’s milk cheese) with a rosé wine such as trebbiano di lugana. “It’s my favourite cheese, it reminds me of my childhood,” he adds, advising that you grab a slice of fresh, crusty bread and dig in.
So, the next time you fix up a cheese platter, here are the wines you could consider serving:
Aged cheddar – Cabernet sauvignon
Brie and camembert – Prosecco
Mozzarella – Merlot/pinot gris
Pecorino romano – Pinot grigio
Goat’s cheese – Sauvignon blanc
Feta cheese – Pinot noir
Stracchino – Rosé