More cheese, please…………Holiday Entertaining Made Easy!

by Sandi Marques
This article was originally published by Cork & Karma in the September 2006 Newsletter. Republished by permission of Sandi Marques, Founder Cork & Karma Inc

Wine and cheese...seems to be the age-old pairing that many of us hold to. Whether you want to get people together in your home or office, we naturally assume that wine and cheese go together. But do they?

Cheese by definition is a solid food made from the curdled milk of cows, goats, sheep, water buffalo and other mammals. The milk is curdled using some combination of rennet (a proteolytic enzyme (protease) that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids (curds) and liquid (whey)) and acidification. Bacteria acidify the milk and play a role in defining the texture and flavour of most cheeses. Some cheeses also feature molds, either on the outer rind or throughout. The many different types and flavours of cheese are a result of using different species of bacteria, and molds, different levels of milk fat, variations in length of aging, differing processing treatments and different breeds of cows, sheep or other mammals.

Think of Cheese in Terms of Families or Groupings

There are literally thousands of different varieties of cheese. The easiest way to make sense of cheese is to categorize them into families such as: hard, semi-hard, soft, semi-soft and blue. Here are some examples:

• Hard (cheddar, asiago, reggiano parmesano, grana padano)
• Semi-hard (gruyere, jarlsberg, swiss, emmental)
• Semi-soft (brie, camembert)
• Soft (chevre, cream, boursin)
• Blue (roquefort, stilton, gorgonzola)

When you think of cheese in terms of its family relationship, you are better able to perfectly match the wine. For example, the traditional cheese trays loaded with a mixed variety of all these cheese families is a recipe for disaster when pairing the wine because there is no one wine that will go with everything. You are much better off choosing two similar families (hard and semi hard) and matching those two types (two varieties max within each family) with a good wine. And, contrary to popular belief, some cheeses are better suited with whites (goat cheeses) and some are better suited to reds (cheddar and reggiano parmesano).

Notes for Wine & Cheese Pairings

• Dry red wines are much more difficult to pair with cheese - stick to dry whites or sweet wines (port, sauternes). If you want to pair a red wine, choose one that is reasonably mature (vintage date on label should be at least three years old) with high alcohol. Mature reds pair well with Mimolette (mature Gouda) or aged cheddar
• Red wines with some degree of tannin are best matched with hard cheeses that are not too strong or salty (salt emphasizes tannins)
• Soft, creamy, high-fat cheeses (triple crème brie) needs wine with high acidity, making white wines a better choice: sauvignon blanc, riesling
• The more acidic the cheese, the more acidic the wine needs to be i.e., Goat's cheese with a sauvignon blanc
• Trying to choose one wine to go with an assorted cheese tray loaded with soft, hard, smoked and blue cheeses will most likely not result in resounding success. You are better off picking one cheese with one wine
• When in doubt, choose a wine from the same region as the cheese i.e. Oka cheese with a Quebec wine (yes Quebec does make wine), Munster with an Alsace gewürztraminer or Vacherin with a mature pinot noir

Classic Cheese and Wine Pairings

• Reggiano Parmigiano - Amarone della Valpolicella, Italy
• Stilton - Red or tawny ports from Portugal
• Roquefort - Sauternes from Bordeaux, France
• Cheddar - medium to very full bodied reds eg., grapes such as: zinfandel, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon or wines like: Bordeaux, Chilean or California reds
• Goat's Cheese - sauvignon blanc from Pouilly-Fumé (Loire, France) and Sancerre (Loire, France) or a New World style
• Smoked Cheese - Alsatian gewürztraminer, Australian Shiraz or a sweet wine

But if you want to be sure that your next wine and cheese pairing is a success, drop me a line, I'm happy to help: sandi@corkandkarma.com

Want to know more about any cheese in the world? Check out my book pick available online at www.amazon.com - The World Encyclopedia of Cheese (Hardcover) by Juliet Harbutt.

A final thought...

Making Canadian history and in honour of great Canadian cheese and wine, a set of four NEW domestic stamps highlights Canadian innovation.

Canadian wine and cheese continue to draw world attention. With our resounding success in icewine as leaders and international award-winners, along with our penchant for consuming cheese (in 2004, annual cheese consumption in Canada hit 11.97 kgs per person) and making outstanding cheddars, Canada Post has raised a toast with a set of four NEW domestic rate stamps. Now available at your local Canada Post outlet or view these stamps online.

Print this page    Recommend this page