Wine and Cheese Pairings For Beginners

If you are completely satisfied with wine and cheese as a meal, then this blog post is for you.

From creamy smooth goats cheese to baked brie and melty gooey Gruyère, I am one of those people who loves cheese. In all its forms. The only thing that makes a meal of cheese even better, is a nice big glass of wine.

However, not all wines, are gouda with all cheeses. Finding the perfect matches can take a lot of trial and error and thankfully for you, I have done the hard yards and researched my butt off for this post.

It’s very kind of me I know, to eat a ton of cheese, and try it with different wines, just so I can put this post together for you. You’re welcome 😉

8 Wine and Cheese Pairings

1. Goats cheese and Chablis

Earlier this year I came across the beauty of Chablis and goats cheese. Let’s just say, it made my heart melt. Literally. The minerality and crispness in the French Chardonnay with the creamy, deliciousness of the goats cheese is pure bliss. Both the wine and cheese balance each-other out to create a party in your mouth.

Alternate wine matches: I have also found Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc to pair well with goats cheese.

2. Brie and Champagne

Brie is Mr Spittoon and my go-to cheese choice when putting together a cheese board. We also love our baked bries in winter. Brie is a soft, creamy cheese that pairs well with delicious effervescence in a glass of Champagne.

Alternate wine matches: Anything with bubbles! Whether it’s a Cava, Prosecco or another sparkling wine. If bubbles aren’t your thing then a Chardonnay, Viognier or Semillon can do the trick.

3. Cheddar and Merlot

Sometimes you are craving cheese but all you have in the fridge is some cheddar. Well, don’t fret as I’ve found cheddar pairs perfectly with a smooth Merlot.

Alternate wine matches: Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

4. Blue Cheese and Port

Both blue cheese and Port wine are big on flavour which why they work so well together! The sweetness and higher alcohol in Port work so well with the full cheesy flavours in a blue vein cheese or piece of Stilton. I also have a delicious recipe for Port and Stilton Pate – that you should try out if you love Port and blue cheese!

5. Mozzarella and Rose

Melty, stringy mozzarella cheese simply screams to be matched with a nice crisp, dry glass of rose wine. Mozzarella isn’t too strong, and neither is light South of France style rose. They are the perfect match. But beware, you can easily consume a lot of both on a nice day in the sunshine.

Alternate wine matches: Pinot Gris/Grigio also goes quite well with mozzarella.

6. Parmesan and Prosecco

When pairing any sort of food with wine, my go-to rule is:

Pair your wine with the local food.

You’ll find wine regions typically make wines to match well with their local delicacies. Therefore I found matching the Italian parmesan cheese with Italian Prosecco is a no-brainer (learn more about Prosecco via my ultimate guide).

7. Jarlsberg and Riesling

Have you jumped onboard the Jarlsberg cheese train yet? We can’t get enough of it in my house. It’s a semi-soft cheese made in Norway with ‘swiss-cheese’ like holes through it. I find the nuttiness in the cheese matches so well with a crisp, fresh Riesling.

8. Camembert and Pinot Noir

This is a classic! You can’t go wrong with camembert and charcuterie with a nice big glass of Pinot.

So those are some of my favourite wine and cheese pairings, what are yours? Leave a comment below so I can try them out!