Wine: Perfect partners for cheese

Wine: Perfect partners for cheese
Is it possible to be a wine lover and a curd nerd? Yes, says Fiona Beckett. Here's how


Fiona Beckett
The Guardian, Saturday 11 December 2010


Cheese and red wine may seem the ultimate no-brainer, but the two clash almost as often as they hit it off. Particular culprits are stinky French cheeses such as époisses, brie matured to the stage where it's oozing off the board and strong blues, all of which can totally skew a subtle and elegant red.

So is it possible to be a wine lover and a curd nerd? As a fan of both, I'd say yes, but not at the same time. If you want to serve a selection of cheeses – as most do, especially around Christmas – I'd leave out the smellier customers and serve an accommodating red such as a côtes du rhône villages, or a rioja such as the well-priced Paternina Monte Haro Rioja 2008 (on offer at £6.49 at Wine Rack, and the Oxford Wine Company; 13% abv).

If you must have a pongy cheese, serve it solo and with a drink to match – and that's generally a sweet white, not a red. Sauternes, say, the traditional partner for roquefort that also goes surprisingly well with époisses and similarly pungent washed rind cheeses: the 2006 Waitrose in Partnership Sauternes, made by Château Suduiraut (£13.49 a half-bottle; 13.6% abv), would be perfect.

Gooey bries tend to work well with fruity pinot noirs such as the lush Roaring Meg Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir from Central Otago (on offer at £13.99 at Majestic if you buy two or more; 14% abv), while a well-matured camembert, say, in my view fares better with an apple brandy such as calvados or Somerset Royal Cider Brandy (from £13.50 for 35cl, ciderbrandy.co.uk and assorted south-western wine merchants; 42% abv).

Blue cheeses such as stilton are traditionally paired with port, but I love them with sweet sherries, too, especially Averys' wickedly moreish Bristol Supreme Sweet Sherry (a steal at £8.99 for 75cl; 17.5% abv) or, possibly even better, with a glass of sloe or damson gin – Bramley And Gage make a good one at 26% abv for £14.19.


If, on the other hand, you're opening a special bottle of wine, you'd be better off going for less assertive cheeses – hard sheep's cheeses such as a manchego or pecorino are generally a safe bet, red leicester makes a good match for red bordeaux, and crumbly shards of mature parmigiano reggiano make great nibbling with an elegant Tuscan red such as the San Colombaio Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2007 (£10.99 in larger branches of Sainsbury's; 13.5% abv).