When organizing a wine and cheese pairing, the thing you have to know is: If it tastes yummy, do it! I’m sure you’ve heard all the most knowledgeable chefs giving their two cents about what cheese works with a wine; however, when you make your selection, it’s all about personal taste. You may prefer your favorite cheese with your favorite wine. My typical recommendation is for you to be ready for for a fun afternoon. Choose several cheeses and several wines. each person will find what combination is best for themselves. There are no wrong combinations. wine and cheese pairing parties will create conversation. It will be a great time. It will be delightful. And it will be enjoyable.
Cheese and wine are often matched, and they have been enjoyed together since antiquity. Both are products of fermentation. Both may be consumed while fresh, simple, and young or in their more complicated forms when they are aged and mature.
When put together, wine and cheese bring out the best in each other, and even the experts can’t agree on any absolutes in the wine and cheese pairing game. Now apparently, if you’re reading this, you’re a highbrow like the rest of us, and with snobs, there’s no worry about bloopers in wine and cheese pairings — say like nibbling Velveeta while sipping boxed Franzia.
There are no hard and fast rules as to which wines should regularly be served with a distinct} cheeses. There is a belief that cheeses of a certain region are best paired with wines of the same region. But, just as one bottle of zinfandel from the Temecula California is not like that of another vintage or another producer, neither is one Blue Benedictin exactly like another. Both are living and constantly changing. This is what makes pairing cheese and wine amusing as well as fun.
Even though it comes down to personal taste, certain traditions have been approved by most of chefs. Here are some of those general rules:
• White wines pairs best with soft cheeses and stronger flavors.
• Red wines pairs best with hard cheeses and milder flavors.
• Fruity and sweet white wines (not dry) and dessert wines pairs best with a extended selection of cheeses.
• The more tangy the cheese you choose, the sweeter the wine should be.
• Rapport should always exist between the cheese and the wine. They should have similar strength. There should always be a parity - strong and powerful cheeses should be paired with similar wines and light cheeses should be paired with lighter wines.
• A complete list of recommended wine and cheese groupings can be found at temecula-wine.net.
When offering several cheese choices in a wine and cheese event, white wines are better than reds. That’s because several cheeses, particularly soft and creamy ones, leave a taste of fat on the palate that interferes with the flavor in reds, rendering them monotonous and bland.
Just the opposite, most of those sweeter whites nicely pair with most cheeses. Additionally, the “sparkle” in a sparkling wine or champagne can help break through the fat in heavier cheeses.Therefore, the spicy zing of a Gewürztraminer or the peachy zip of a Riesling is perfect if you’re going for a wide appeal.
If you’re an adventurist and willing to try the stinkiest of cheese, pick a big wine to back it up. Try a French Bordeaux or a buxom California Cab. Ports and dessert wines are your best combination if you like mold-donned or blue-veined cheeses.
To be safe while offering several wines, choose Parmigiano or Romano cheeses. They go with most wines.
A Wine and Cheese Pairing Party to Remember
Here are my ideas for setting up a memorable and fun wine and cheese pairing bash for your family:
• Purchase your cheeses in big blocks for a memorable arrangement.
• Cheeses should be presented at room temperature. Pull them out of the fridge a couple hours prior to your bash.
• Serve most wines refridgerated — whites between 50-55 degrees and reds between 60-65 degrees.
• Reds need to breath 15 to 20 minutes before you server them.
• Make handwritten name cards for all your cheeses.
• Display cheese on a cheese tray, a wood cheese board, or even a nice piece of china.
Ultimately, the perfect wine and cheese pairing is not a rule. It is a match made on the palates of each person individually. Start with the basic guidelines above and then try the unfamiliar. You may be surprised which pairings will end up to be your choice selections.
David Cragg is an SEO expert forTemecula California business with over 30 years of experiance. His work started with IBM and then was funded by Microsoft. Today he is retired and offers his assistence to winery managment to help with their SEO to help expand their businesses. You can read more about his work for Temecula wineries at temecula-wineries.net/AboutUs.html.
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