Cheese and dairy
What wine goes with cheese?
Wine and cheese is a pairing that promises more than it often delivers, because the category 'cheese' covers an enormous range - from a fresh, lemony goats cheese to a 36-month aged Parmigiano to a runny, ammoniated Epoisses. Each one needs a different wine.
Salt, fat, acidity, and funk are the levers. Sweet wines work with salty, pungent cheeses because the sweetness neutralises the salt. High-acid wines work with fatty, creamy cheeses. Tannin + cheese is often a mistake.
The best matches
Sauternes with blue cheese
The sweetness of Sauternes tames the salt and pungency of a Roquefort or Stilton, and the wine's honey and apricot notes tie into the creamy, nutty elements of the cheese. This is one of the most reliable great pairings in wine, full stop.
Sauvignon Blanc with fresh goats cheese
About this grapeLoire Sauvignon Blanc and Loire goats cheese grew up together. The herbal, citrus, and mineral character of a Sancerre mirrors the sharp, lemony, chalky quality of a fresh Crottin de Chavignol. A near-perfect regional pairing.
Champagne with soft, creamy cheeses
The acidity and bubbles cut through brie, camembert, or triple-cream cheeses where most wines would sink into the fat. The yeasty, brioche quality of aged Champagne also echoes the rind of washed-rind cheeses.
Port with aged hard cheeses
Tawny Port's dried fruit, nut, and caramel notes work with aged Gouda, Manchego, or vintage Cheddar. The sweetness of the Port handles the crystalline, umami richness of long-aged cheese.
What to avoid
Very tannic reds with most cheeses. The tannin reacts with milk proteins to produce a chalky, bitter, metallic quality that neither the wine nor the cheese deserves. Big Cabernet + cheese board is a popular combination that rarely actually tastes good.
One thing to keep in mind
If you're doing a cheese course with multiple cheeses, work through the softer, fresher ones first (which want lighter, more acidic wines) and move toward the aged and blue ones at the end (which can handle sweetness and oxidation).
Scan the bottle you're considering
SomeWine identifies any wine from the label, shows the pairing notes, and can suggest what to open from your cellar based on what you're cooking tonight.
Download SomeWine