Frederic Melton
Moscato is a complex, delicate, and sweet wine with a fruity aroma and a low alcohol content. It is an excellent choice for appetisers, dessert, or a plate of cheese. When it comes to cheese, the key to pairing wine is balance. Since Moscato is sweet, it goes well with salty, bitter, spicy, and sour foods. Softer, creamy cheeses are a good match for Moscato, with goat's cheese being the best pairing, followed by burrata and mozzarella.
Goat's cheese has a soft texture and a mild tanginess that complements the acidity and fruitiness of Moscato without overwhelming its flavour. The wine's acidity also helps to cut through the richness of the cheese. Other good pairings for Moscato include blue cheese, gouda, Italian cheese, and hard cheese.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese type | Goat cheese, Blue cheese, Gouda, Italian cheese, Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Cheddar, Munster, Pepper Jack, Brie, Camembert, Burrata, Mozzarella, Murazzano, Gorgonzola |
| Flavour | Soft, creamy, salty, sour, funky, tangy, pungent, mild, buttery |
| Texture | Soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, Hard |
| Origin | Italian, French, English, Portuguese, Greek, American |
| Colour | Pale yellow |
What You'll Learn
Goat's cheese is the best Moscato pairing
Goats cheese is the best Moscato pairing. This is because Moscato is a sweet wine, so it pairs well with foods that have a salty, bitter, spicy, or sour flavour profile. Goats cheese is soft, creamy, and has the right amount of tanginess to complement the wine. The acidity of Moscato also helps to cut through the slight heaviness of the cheese.
Goats cheese has a soft texture and a fairly neutral taste, which means it won't overpower the wine. The acidity and citrusy notes of Moscato will impress upon the cheese, allowing both the wine and the cheese to express their own flavours fully.
When pairing wine and cheese, it's important to consider the origin of the cheese, its texture, and its type. It's also best to serve the cheese at room temperature to maximise its flavour.
Some other cheeses that pair well with Moscato include blue cheese, smoked gouda, Italian cheese, and hard cheese.
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Blue cheese balances out the wine's sweetness
Blue cheese is a strong, pungent cheese with a salty and funky flavour. It is a divisive cheese—people either love it or hate it. Its complexity and boldness mean that it needs to be paired with a wine that can balance out its funkiness. This is where Moscato comes in.
Moscato is a delicate, sweet wine with notes of peach, apricot, nectarine, orange, rose, blossom, and white flowers. It is often fizzy, with a citrusy character. Moscato is a natural choice for appetisers, dessert, or a plate of cheese. As a sweet wine, it pairs well with foods that have an opposite flavour profile—salty, bitter, spicy, or even sour.
Blue cheese and Moscato make a great pair because the sweetness of Moscato balances out the saltiness and pungency of the blue cheese. The sweetness of the wine also helps to temper the funkiness of the cheese. The lighter style of Moscato, in particular, can be a terrific change if you've only ever matched pungent cheese with heavy, fortified wines. The fresh, acidic fruit of a Moscato d'Asti, for example, cleans your mouth of heavier cheeses like Gorgonzola, leaving you nice and refreshed.
If you're building a charcuterie board that will feature Moscato, blue cheese is a great choice to include.
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Gouda is a good pairing, especially smoked
Gouda is a good pairing with Moscato, especially when it's smoked. This is because the wine's sweetness is balanced by the saltiness and slight nuttiness of the cheese. The harder texture of Gouda also contrasts well with the lightness of Moscato, allowing both the wine and the cheese to express their own flavours fully.
When pairing wine and cheese, it's important to consider the origin of the cheese, its texture, and its type. For example, choosing a cheese from the same region as the wine is ideal, and serving the cheese at room temperature maximises its flavour.
Moscato is a delicate, sweet, and fruity wine with notes of peach, apricot, nectarine, orange, rose, blossom, and white flowers. It is surprisingly low in alcohol and pairs well with salty, bitter, spicy, and sour foods.
Other cheeses that go well with Moscato include goat's cheese, blue cheese, Italian cheese such as mozzarella, Grana Padano, and Parmigiano Reggiano, and soft cheeses like Brie and Camembert.
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Italian cheese is a good choice
One classic example of an Italian cheese that pairs well with Moscato is goat cheese, also known as chèvre. Its soft texture and tangy flavor complement the acidity and fruitiness of Moscato. The acidity of the wine also helps to cut through the slight heaviness of the goat cheese.
Burrata, a member of the mozzarella family, is another Italian cheese that goes well with Moscato. It is produced in the region of Puglia, in southwestern Italy. This soft, fresh cheese has a creamy texture, buttery flavor, and milky aroma. It is often served with crusty bread and prosciutto, and a glass of cool Moscato is a great choice to accompany it.
Mozzarella itself is also a good pairing with Moscato. This classic semi-soft cheese is produced in the Italian regions of Campania, Abruzzo, Puglia, and Molise. It has a stringy texture, milky flavor, and fresh aroma. A plate of fresh mozzarella is an excellent choice for the beginning of an evening, especially when served with Moscato.
Murazzano is another Italian cheese that pairs well with Moscato. This fresh, soft cheese has a spicy flavor and a mild aroma. It is made from sheep's milk, and its flavor intensifies as it ages. Murazzano is more intense than some other options, but it is not sharp, so it pairs brilliantly with light and sparkling white wines like Moscato.
Lastly, Italian hard cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, or Parmesan, also go well with Moscato. Parmesan, produced in the region of Emilia-Romagna, has a grainy and crunchy texture, a natural rind, and a rich, nutty flavor. It is excellent when served with nuts and white grapes, accompanied by a glass of chilled Moscato.
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Hard, salty cheeses are a great match
When pairing wine and cheese, it is important to consider the origin of the cheese, its texture, and its type. For Moscato, a salty or sour cheese is often the best pairing, as the wine itself is sweet. Choosing a cheese from the same region as the wine can also be a good option, and serving the cheese at room temperature will maximise its flavour.
Some specific examples of hard, salty cheeses that pair well with Moscato include:
- Parmigiano Reggiano: This Italian cheese has a grainy and crunchy texture, a natural rind, and a rich, nutty flavour. It is perfect for serving on a plate with nuts and white grapes, accompanied by a glass of chilled Moscato.
- Cheddar: A mature cheddar has a sharp, creamy flavour that can stand up to the fruit character of Moscato. Produced mainly in England, it has a pale yellow colour and crumbly texture.
- Grana Padano: This cheese, created in the 12th century, has a grainy, crumbly texture and a slightly fruity flavour. It pairs well with the fruity notes of Moscato and other white wines such as Barolo, Gavi, and Zinfandel.
In addition to hard, salty cheeses, there are also several soft and semi-soft cheeses that complement Moscato. These include goat cheese, blue cheese, Gouda, and Italian cheeses such as mozzarella and burrata.
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Frequently asked questions
Moscato is a delicate, fizzy, sweet wine with notes of stone fruit (peach, apricot, nectarine), citrus, and tropical fruits. It is also a floral wine that smells of rose, blossoms, and white flowers.
Good cheese pairings for Moscato include goat cheese, blue cheese, Gouda, Italian cheese, and Parmesan.
When pairing cheese with Moscato, it is important to consider the origin of the cheese, its texture, and its type. It is generally recommended to choose a cheese from the same region as the wine, and to serve it at room temperature to maximize its flavor.
Moscato pairs well with salty and spicy foods due to its sweetness. Specific food pairings include salads with fruit, Indian and Thai cuisine, and desserts such as apple pie, peach cobbler, and ice cream.
