Wine and cheese they just go so well together! However, some wines go better with certain styles of cheese, and there’s a lot more white, rosé and orange wines that make that delicious pairing taste even better than you might think! Then there’s Sake and one or two spirits that also can create that perfect pairing!
And with National Wine & Cheese Day almost upon us, we thought that it might be an idea to shout out one or two suggestions for you in order to get those taste buds of yours on high alert! And what’s even better, any of you who don’t eat dairy for whatever reason are also now very well catered for with non-dairy alternatives – it would be great to hear your views on which of these work fabulously for you and with what wine!
Anyway, without further ado, here are some of our suggestions. A more fuller list can be found by simply clicking on the button below or by taking a stroll amongst our fine wines at our Online Shop.
Sparkling Wine
Fizz is a brilliant all rounder when it comes to food in general, but here are one or two of our favourites:
Ancre Hill Pet Nat Pink NV, Monmouthshire Wales – try this with a light cheddar – so moreish…
Cantini Bassoli Lambrusco IGP ‘Royal’ NV Italy – works well with a decent cold meat and cheese platter – give it a go!
Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne – sip and nibble on a few cheese straws or cheese strings and you’ll be in heaven!
Nyetimber Rosé NV, Sussex England – Get munching on salmon and soft cheese canapés
White Wine
Now, a good old faithful chardie will go with most cheese on a board – whether its a glugger or something more worth sipping and taking your time on chardie – just fill up your glass and go for it!
And here are a few examples just for you:
Patterson’s Select Reserve Chardonnay 2022, Riverland Australia
Hunter’s Offshoot Chardonnay 2018 New Zealand
Casa Silva Cool Coast Paredones Chardonnay 2018, Colchagua Valley Chile
– think Caerphilly, Cheddar, Cheshire, Wensleydale etc…
And for cheeses such as goat and sheep cheese then a Savi Blanc is what you need or why not try a crisp Bacchus from our very own fair isle!
Fair beauts:
Lyme Bay Bacchus 2021, Devon, England
Horsmonden Dry White 2021, Davenport Vineyards Sussex England
De Chansac Sauvignon Blanc 2021/22, IGP Cotes de Gascogne France
Demuerte White (Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo) 2021, Mucia/Yecla Spain
Hunter’s Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Marlborough New Zealand
Papillon Vino od Francuza Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Slovakia
Cheese such as Brie we would recommend a crisp Riesling or a rather indulgent fizz:
Brauneberger Riesling 2021, Mosel Germany
Dr Loosen Riesling Sekt Extra Dry NV Germany
Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Orange Wine
Orange Wine is also a bit of an all-rounder when it comes to cheese, especially cheese with a bit of colour or tang e.g. Yarg, Gloucester, Lancashire, Leicestershire etc
And also: semi-hard – sheep cheese, so good with Manchego and similar hard sheep cheese, but also with grilled halloumi and a salty sheep cheese like feta!
So, why not try:
Orange Edition Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Familia Bresesti Corte Naranja, Canelones Uruguay
Pomelado Orange, Dominion de Punctum 2021, Castilla, Spain
Ancre Hill Orange 2021, Monmouthshire Wales
Teliani Valley Winery 97 Kakhuri No 8 (Amber Wine) 2020, Kakheti Georgia
Rosé Wine
We love nothing more than pairing rosé with a soft cheese spread or a really soft and sqidgy cheese such as buffalo mozzarella balls, Camembert, etc
Dancing Dog Rosé 2021, Off the Line Vineyard, East Sussex England
Renishaw Hall Walled Garden Rosé 2021, Derbyshire England
Tour Campanets 2021, Provence Rosé France
Red Wine
Hard Cheeses such as Parmesan and Pecorino love big bold red wines – wines from Northern and Central Italy work well: Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Corvina all do the right thing when it comes to harder cheese. Also, think about Cabernet Sauvignon.
Softer cheese such as Brie are fab with lighter reds such as Pinot Noir.
Casa Silva Cool Coast Paredones Pinot Noir 2017, Colchagua Valley Chile
Diamond Fields Pinot Noir 2021, Davenport Vineyards Sussex England
10 Minutes By Tractor Estate Pinot Noir 2021, Mornington Peninsula Australia
Ancora Sangiovese 2021, IGT Puglia
Cantina di Negrar Valpolicella Classico DOC 2020 Italy
Amarone Musella 2016, Veneto Italy
Château Laborde Cru Bourgeois 2010, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux France
Chateau Loudenne 2015, Medoc Bordeaux France
Vinedo de los Vientos Catarsis 2016 (Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat & Barbera), Canelones Uruguay
Rongzi Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Shanxi China
Trefethen Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, California USA
G. D. Vajra ‘Albe’ Barolo 2016/17, Italy
Sake
A good starting point is to pair a Junmai sake with a mild cheese like cheddar or mozzarella. Creamy cheeses like brie or gouda also pair well with sake. Blue cheese pair well with daiginjo sake.
Konishi Hiyashibori “Konishi Silver” Ginjo Hiyashibori (300ml)
Edo Genroku ‘Genroku Redux’ Junmai (from 1703 recipe) (720ml)
Dessert
There’s a whole range of cheese that the wines from this category will snuggle up nicely to. However, one category that we would wish to highlight is blue cheese – man, do these work well!
It would be rude to not give mention to:
Boal 10 Year Old Reserve, Vinhos Barbeito Madeira
Quinta do Portal Late Bottle Vintage 2013 Portugal
White Castle Vineyard 1581 Fortified ‘Port Style’ 2015 Wales
Valdespino Fino Inocente Jerez Spain
Domaine de Grange Neuve, Monbazillac 2018 France (50cl)
Cailonglin Vidal Icewine Gold Label 2013, Liaoning, China (37.5cl)
Spirits
And don’t forget that quite a number of spirits also go very well with cheese.
Gin loves things like goat and sheep cheese, cheddar or even blue cheese really likes to get cosy with vodka and gouda, stilton all love rum.
For the whisky fan out there it will depend on whether it has peat or not – these require a cheese with a bit more character such as aged Pecorino or Manchego. A 10 Year Old is a classic malt with smooth aromas that grow on the palate. This whisky is the perfect match for a mellow cheddar or a sheep’s cheese with a bit of age for instance.
Hepple Gin, Northumberland England (70cl, 45%)
Pit Wheel Classic Dry Gin, County Durham England
Francois Voyer Cognac Grande Champagne VS
Tácnbora Batch 1, Ad Gefrin Northumberland (70cl, 42.7%)
Wow, this really is a taste of heaven folks!
Either click on the links or undertake further browsing using the button below! Happy National Wine & Cheese Day folks!
#NationalCheeseAndWineDay #NationWineAndCheeseDay
