10 Winning Wine And Cheese Pairings You Need For Your Next Gathering

Flickr / Karen Camacho

Gone are the days when we could show up at a friend’s wine and cheese party with a box of Franzia and a bag of string cheese without getting dirty looks. Now that we no longer have the excuse of living in a dorm room, we’re expected to make classier decisions when it comes to choosing what to bring for these types of get-togethers. Although most of us already have a favorite type of wine and a favorite type of cheese, those two don’t necessarily pair well together.

If you don’t consider the flavor profile or the acidity of your wine and cheese when you pair them together, you could end up with a cheese that completely overpowers your wine or vice versa. Luckily, we’ve done the digging for you and have gathered 10 wine-and-cheese pairs that are matches made in heaven. Whether you like bold or sweet flavors, we’ve got a combo that’ll suit your fancy.

1. Prosecco And Parmesan

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This dynamic Italian duo is the perfect wine-and-cheese pairing for your next celebration. Parmesan is a salty, gritty cheese and eating it with too bold of a wine would make for an overly-intense pairing. The fruity bubbly-ness of Prosecco, on the other hand, contrasts parmesan’s flavor beautifully without overpowering it.

2. Malbec And Aged Cheddar

Wikipedia

Dry, red wines like Malbec are great at offsetting the saltiness and nuttiness of hard-aged cheeses like aged cheddar. Other, sweeter wines wouldn’t hold their own when paired with the sharpness of aged cheddar cheese, but bold Malbec does so perfectly.

3. Chardonnay And Brie

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The creaminess of soft brie cheese pairs best with dry, slightly-acidic white wines like Chardonnay. Combining a buttery cheese like brie with a sweeter white wine like Moscato wouldn’t have as much of a contrast and therefore would have less of an interesting taste.

4. Riesling And Feta

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Pairing a sweet Riesling wine with a salty cheese like feta provides the perfect contrast. If you’re choosing instead to drink a semi-dry Riesling, swap the feta out for semi-hard, medium-aged cheeses like Havarti.

5. Port And Blue Cheese

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Because of its distinct, strong taste, finding the right wine pairing for blue cheese can be tricky. Pair it with a wine with high tannins like a dry red and you’ll get harsh results. But a sweeter wine like Port can offset the pungency of a strong blue cheese wonderfully.

6. Pinot Noir And Gruyère

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The delicate flavors of Gruyère could easily be overwhelmed and overpowered by bolder red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, but the lighter, fruity taste of Pinot Noir complements this cheese perfectly.

7. Sauvignon Blanc And Goat Cheese

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Goat cheese is defined as any type of cheese that is made with goat milk, as opposed to the milk of any other animal (like a cow or sheep). Chevre is typically the most popular goat cheese, but many other varieties exist. Because of its complex flavor, you need to pay extra attention when pairing goat cheese with the appropriate wine. Pairing it with a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is always a good idea. The slight acidity of this classic white wine mirrors the acidity of goat cheese, making the two a perfect match.

8. Merlot And Gouda

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Semi-hard-to-hard cheeses like popular Gouda pair well with medium-bodied red wines like Merlot. What’s more, Gouda and Merlot have similar acidity levels, so they complement each other without one overpowering the other. The two are crowd-favorites so it’s no surprise that they make the perfect couple.

9. Pinot Grigio And Mozzarella

The Pizza Bike / Flickr

The light, fruity yet slightly acidic taste of Pinot Grigio pairs best with mild, soft cheeses like Mozzarella. A refreshing glass of Pinot Grigio would also pair well with a simple white pizza, although we’d suggest that you switch to red if you like your pizza with pepperoni.

10. Zinfandel And Dry Monterey Jack

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Classic Zinfandel is a full-bodied wine with moderate tannin and high acidity. A bold wine like Zinfandel should pair with an equally bold-flavored cheese so that one isn’t overpowered by the other. Aged Monterey Jack, also called dry jack cheese, makes for the perfect companion. Dry jack is nutty, slightly sweet but also tangy, a flavor profile that will hold its own against a Zinfandel.

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