How to Pair Wine and Cheese: 3 Expert Strategies You Need to Know

Pairing Secret #1: Texture Match

I believe the single most crucial factor in creating a successful pairing is pairing cheese and wines in the same weight class. Because we’re striving for balance, pairing a light and creamy goat cheese with a massive, dense red wine would be a serious fail. Instead, try these harmony pairings that I have matched for their compatible textures:

• Young, fresh soft goats milk cheese with a delicate and aromatic white like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling
• Semisoft cows milk cheese with a medium-bodied white like Chardonnay
• Funky washed-rind cheese (like Talleggio) with a rich, floral and honeyed white such as Roussane or Viognier
• Alpine-style cheeses like Gruyere, Emmenthaler, or Comte with a fresh and fruity red like Pinot Noir, Barbera or Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais)
• Hard sheep’s-milk cheese with a rich and full-bodied reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Grenache/Syrah blends

Pairing Secret #2: Opposites Attract

On the flip side, sometimes a contrast pairing is also delicious. You can stick to the ‘texture match’ rules but play around a little bit with flavor. Maybe a rosemary-crusted cheese would be delightful when contrasted with a citrus-driven wine like Picpoul. Rosemary and lemon, one of my favorite combinations in food- and you can create this same kind of flavor contrast in your wine pairing. Another style of contrast pairing that is ALWAYS a home run is pairing nutty, savory cheese with a vibrant and fruity wine. I call it a “peanut butter and jelly pairing” because you get that same sweet and salty sensation. Think of it as PB&J for grownups!

Pairing Secret #3:  What Grows Together, Goes Together

Wines and cheeses from the same region are brilliant pairings because they share a natural harmony. Think of tangy goat cheese from the Loire Valley paired with a beautiful Sancerre from that same region— heaven! Even if you can’t find wine and cheese from the exact same place, you can fake it if you follow the general concept. For example, I had Corsican rosé wine made from the Aleatico grape that I wanted to pair. It was bursting with the floral and herbal aromas known in Corsica as maquis (those ‘Herbs De Provence’ scents like rosemary, thyme, lavender, and sage). Corsica makes a sheep’s milk cheese called ‘Fleur de Maquis’ by coating the wheels with herbs before aging, but I couldn’t find it here. It turns out that Murray’s, one of my favorite cheese sources, made their own local version called Hudson Flower, taking fresh cheese from Upstate NY and coating it with our own local herbs. Even though it wasn’t technically a regional pairing, it was conceptually! And it was perfect.