Pairing Cheeses with Wine

Wine and cheeses are two things that go spectacularly well together. The secret into finding the best wine and cheese pair is actually tasting both wine and cheese and assessing their characteristics. Certain wines provide a perfect foil for certain cheeses, but actually tasting each wine and cheese in existence takes time even if you stick to the popular choices. But don’t fret, a lot of people have done the work beforehand.

Like all things, these wine and cheese pairings serve as a basic guide. Ultimately you will find that you prefer certain cheeses with another wine, and that is fine. But for starters, here’s a quick guide to which cheeses go with certain kinds of wine.

Pinot Noir

Best with: Edam cheese

Ardrahan cheese (an Irish cheese)

Riesling

Best with: Colby cheese

Cotija cheese (a semi-hard Mexican cheese)

Edam cheese

Gouda

Monterey Jack

Sauvignon Blanc

Best with: Derby (a hard English cheese)

Graddost (semi-hard Swedish cheese)

Neufchatel

Gruyere

Sonoma Jack

Asiago

Champagne

Best with: Brie

Colby cheese

Mild cheddar

Gouda

Cabernet

Best with: Danish Blue cheese

Camembert

Sharp cheddar

Merlot

Best with: Gruyere

Brie

Camembert

Gouda

Shiraz

Best with: Parmesan

Edam

Gouda

Roncal (hard Spanish cheese)

Dessert Wine

Best with: Crème fraiche

Mascarpone

Gewurtztraminer

Best with: Swiss

Camembert

Chevre

Boursin (soft French cheese)

Garrotxa (from Spain)