Wine, apart from bread, is cheese’s best companion. Which is better with cheese, though: white wine or red wine? The following discussion will teach you the basics of cheese and wine pairing.

Red Wine or White Wine with Cheese?

Most people believe that one should drink red wine with cheese. This age-old practice of pairing up cheese with red wine is actually the result of the dinner routine where it is customary to drink lighter wines before heavier ones. Since cheese is usually served before desert (that is, late in the meal), people have been inadvertently serving heavy reds with cheeses.

The truth is that most cheeses are better accompanied by white wines. In fact, you can destroy the entire cheese experience if you pair your cheese with the wrong wine. In your next dinner party, use the following tips to help you correctly pair up cheese and wine.

Wine and Cheese Pairing Tips

As a general rule, serve cheese with a white wine rather than a red wine. If you prefer red wines over white wines, though, stick with a light one. Beaujolais and Burgundy wines do a great job of balancing out the lactic acids found in cheeses.

In general, wines with low tannin content also do much better with most cheeses. Port is cheese friendly, too.

The following are some ideal cheese-wine pairs that you should consider:

• Soft Goat cheeses with Sauvignon Blanc (Fume Blanc) or Cotes du Rhone
• Hard Goat cheeses with Vin Jaune
• Munster Family cheese with Gewürztraminer or Rieslings
• Epoise with Marc de Bourgogne (liquor) or Chardonnay (from Burgundy)
• Parmigianino-Reggiano family with champagne/sparkling wines
• Beaufort with Ports (Twany)
• Roquefort or blue cheeses, in general, with Sauternes or sweet desert wines
• Gruyere with a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
• Mild Cheddar with Chardonnay
• Sharp Cheddar with older Rojas

Wine and Cheese Pairing List

I have compiled for WineAromas.com, an extensive list of ideal wine and cheese pairs. The wine and cheese pairing list includes over 80 cheeses from all over the world. You can find this list at Wine Aromas Cheese App.

The above wine pairing guide and the wine and cheese pairing list at Wine Aromas are just general guidelines that can help you avoid cheese and [glossary]wine pairing disasters. We all have our own tastes, though, so I urge you to experiment with different cheese and wine pairs so you can discover for yourself what your personal cheese and wine pairing preferences are! You sure will have a lot of fun doing it. At the very least, this will give you the perfect excuse to sample different cheeses and taste / drink a lot of wines.

Have fun experimenting with wine and cheese pairs!

Cheers!