Wine And Cheese — A Groovy Twosome

Wine and cheese are natural food partners. Both are products of the fermentation process and offer a wide variety of styles from simple to complex. You cannot go wrong serving friends wine and cheese, or eating a light meal of cheese, crusty bread, and wine.

Selection

Choosing a wine that goes best with cheese is very much a question of personal taste. Red wine pairs well with hard cheese, and white wine with soft cheeses. Flavored cream cheeses go great with fruit wines. Chardonnay is a hit with almost any mild or soft cheese served as an appetizer. White Cheddar and Merlot match gracefully, as does Brie and Pinot Gris. Try a Zinfandel or a Pinot Noir with the popular goat cheeses and Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon with fresh Parmesan or Asiago. My favorite is pairing blue cheese with either a Cream Sherry or Riesling for dessert. You should have no problem finding either the cheeses or wine at your local supermarket or wine shop.

Serving Cheese

Plan ahead, as you should always serve cheese at room temperature, not cold from the refrigerator. Depending on the hardness of the cheese, this could take about an hour or as little as 30 minutes. Hard cheeses take longer to rise to room temperature than soft cheese. Leave the cheese wrapped until you are ready to serve so that the exposed surfaces do not dry out.

For serving, I like to present each cheese on a small wooden cutting board, piece of marble, or plate, rather than having multiple varieties sharing one big platter. If they are put together, soft cheeses have a tendency to run into each other. In addition, the aromas intermingle and it is hard to tell them apart. If you do not have individual serving trays, then use a large cutting board and keep the cheeses as far away from each other as possible.

Cheese and wine have a history that dates back thousands of years. When they first invented cheese, they certainly did not have someone to tell you what to, or what not to, drink with it. Let your taste buds be your guide!

Contributor: Niki Coolage (Macon, GA)

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